Christine went to sleep on Monday, May 07, 2018 – she has not awakened yet. However, the following day she was pronounced dead. Some four years earlier, my sister-in-law Christine Baugh was diagnosed with colon cancer. She fought the curse with a variety of treatments, but eventually succumbed. Between my wife and I, she was the last sibling, but her youth was not enough to stave off the monster called death.
Although Christine will not be attending any more of our family gatherings, I will refer to her passing as sleep. Not because I do not want to accept the fact that she has gone, but rather, because the New Testament refers to her passing as sleep. Years earlier, Christine committed her life to Jesus Christ and was described as a Christian. Her faith informed her life.
Long before the New Testament writers were using sleep as a metaphor to describe death, Old Testament writers were doing the same. Death was associated with lying down to rest. From ancient history we learn that sleep was also used as a metaphor for death in Greek mythology.
Both Jesus and Paul would have been familiar with the ancient use of sleep as a metaphor for death. Jesus illustrates this in the story of Lazarus. Hear the gist of the story: ‘After Jesus had said this, He went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. So then He told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead …’ (John 11:11-14 NIV).
In using the metaphor of sleep, Jesus was teaching His disciples that there are similarities between sleep and the physical death of people of faith. As alluded to earlier, sleep implies rest. There is a discontinuation of the routine. Sleep is a naturally recurring physical and mental state of rest during which a person becomes inactive and unaware of the environment.
There is no doubt that sleep is good for you. Even the Bible teaches about the blessing of sleep (Psalm 127:2). After four years of fighting cancer and watching my sister-in-law change beyond recognition, it was good for her to experience a long sleep. The same could be said of the five other close friends who passed away in the last month. Eternal rest meant freedom from the pain and discomfort that ravaged their bodies.
Sleep is essential to our emotional and physical wellbeing. It is a time during which the body can rest, and the mind can sort things out. Each stage of sleep provides different benefits to our physiological and emotional health. Some stages of sleep help us to feel rested, whereas others help us learn or make memories. Some describe sleep as an opportunity for the brain to perform “housekeeping” tasks, such as organizing long-term memory, integrating new information, and repairing and renewing cells and tissues.
In essence, sleep prepares us for the next phase - it is a preparatory period. The period the Apostle Paul called the hope of the believer. Without this hope, Paul contends that the Christian life is futile (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Because of this hope we do not grieve like those who have no hope.
New believers in Thessalonica were quite concerned when they saw their loved ones dying. The grieving ones thought that the deceased were lost. Paul responded to that concern in one of his letters when he wrote: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
While attempting to inform and encourage believers, Paul was identifying a category of persons “who have no hope”. They do not share a worldview that believes there is a reality beyond passing away. They consistently refer to passing away as death, not sleep. For them, death does not only mean the cessation of life, but the cessation of opportunity and hope.
Paul further contends that the Christian worldview is not a mere philosophy of life. It is a reality rooted in the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is how Paul describes it – “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
That belief is what has enabled us to cope with the passing of our darling Christine. Agreed, there is a sense of loss in that she no longer shares our space. However, like Paul, we believe she is asleep and will rise again. How do I know she will rise again? Well, it happened to Jesus. According to Paul, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Showing posts with label my personal journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my personal journey. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
A Tribute To Women of Courage!
Sandra Green, a Florida mother turned-in her 18-year-old son to the police. She recognized him on surveillance video in connection with a home burglary.
Clearwater police released footage showing three teenagers breaking into a home. They were stealing headphones, sports memorabilia and a pair of Michael Jordan-brand sneakers. Days later, Sandra Green saw the video and said she was “heartbroken” to see that her son was one of the three people wanted.
“I was heartbroken because I know I didn’t raise him like that,” she told a television station. “I told him, ‘Come home, take your shower, get something to eat, I am about to take you over there to Clearwater, and turn you in." Clearwater police arrested the young man and charged him with burglary and grand theft.
The mother told a judge she wanted her son to be put on probation with the requirement that he get back on the path to graduate from high school. “He is not hardcore. I feel like he will break tonight. But I want to make sure that it sinks in.”
Throughout the life of a mother, she is confronted with difficult decisions. The difficulty often increases as children grow. For career women, many abandon career ambitions and accept the new challenges of motherhood. Others surrender economic stability and opt for developing character and value in their children. Simply put, mothers make huge personal sacrifices in attempting to nurture their offspring. Sometimes that passion to produce excellence in their children forces them to make tough decisions, all in the interest of their children.
That passion for character development prompted another mother to also turn her son in to the police. Lakesha Robinson was at her son’s school for a parent-teacher conference. She noticed his attention was on a cell phone that she didn’t recognize. She said, “what are you doing with this phone? Whose phone is this?”
He told his mother that the cell phone was given to him by a friend, but she wasn’t buying his story; therefore, she conducted her own investigation and uncovered the real owner of the phone.
The owner told the mother-of-three that his car was broken into and his cellphone, wallet, and credit cards had been stolen. He went on to say that his credit cards had been used at McDonald’s and Walmart. “Since my son had the phone, it’s obvious that he knows something about this theft.” But, when she asked her son about the burglary, he denied it – that’s when she continued her investigation. A McDonald’s bag, a Walmart bag, and a receipt were found inside her home and she called the cell phone owner to see if the amounts matched his statements.
The mother arranged a meeting with the owner and returned his property. Afterward, the Florida mother didn’t hesitate to turn her son in for burglary because of her own criminal background. She did not want her son to make the same mistakes she did before changing her life. Her son was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center for 12 hours and charged with four counts of burglary.
As I reflect on Mother’s Day 2018, I am forced to recall experiences with the mothers I know best – my own mother, my wife who mothered three, and our daughter who is mothering four. These three women, representing three different generations have taught me much. Each of these women displayed toughness in their parenting. They sacrificed much, displayed tenderness, but never surrendered toughness. Thankfully, none of these women have had to report their children to the police.
At this time of year, I salute them – I salute each of them because, in their mothering, they cared more for the character than the image of their children. I salute these women because their passion for Jesus is greater than their passion for religion. The words of the Proverbs 31 woman ably describe each of them – “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” (Proverbs 31:29). Happy Mother’s Day!
Clearwater police released footage showing three teenagers breaking into a home. They were stealing headphones, sports memorabilia and a pair of Michael Jordan-brand sneakers. Days later, Sandra Green saw the video and said she was “heartbroken” to see that her son was one of the three people wanted.
“I was heartbroken because I know I didn’t raise him like that,” she told a television station. “I told him, ‘Come home, take your shower, get something to eat, I am about to take you over there to Clearwater, and turn you in." Clearwater police arrested the young man and charged him with burglary and grand theft.
The mother told a judge she wanted her son to be put on probation with the requirement that he get back on the path to graduate from high school. “He is not hardcore. I feel like he will break tonight. But I want to make sure that it sinks in.”
Throughout the life of a mother, she is confronted with difficult decisions. The difficulty often increases as children grow. For career women, many abandon career ambitions and accept the new challenges of motherhood. Others surrender economic stability and opt for developing character and value in their children. Simply put, mothers make huge personal sacrifices in attempting to nurture their offspring. Sometimes that passion to produce excellence in their children forces them to make tough decisions, all in the interest of their children.
That passion for character development prompted another mother to also turn her son in to the police. Lakesha Robinson was at her son’s school for a parent-teacher conference. She noticed his attention was on a cell phone that she didn’t recognize. She said, “what are you doing with this phone? Whose phone is this?”
He told his mother that the cell phone was given to him by a friend, but she wasn’t buying his story; therefore, she conducted her own investigation and uncovered the real owner of the phone.
The owner told the mother-of-three that his car was broken into and his cellphone, wallet, and credit cards had been stolen. He went on to say that his credit cards had been used at McDonald’s and Walmart. “Since my son had the phone, it’s obvious that he knows something about this theft.” But, when she asked her son about the burglary, he denied it – that’s when she continued her investigation. A McDonald’s bag, a Walmart bag, and a receipt were found inside her home and she called the cell phone owner to see if the amounts matched his statements.
The mother arranged a meeting with the owner and returned his property. Afterward, the Florida mother didn’t hesitate to turn her son in for burglary because of her own criminal background. She did not want her son to make the same mistakes she did before changing her life. Her son was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center for 12 hours and charged with four counts of burglary.
As I reflect on Mother’s Day 2018, I am forced to recall experiences with the mothers I know best – my own mother, my wife who mothered three, and our daughter who is mothering four. These three women, representing three different generations have taught me much. Each of these women displayed toughness in their parenting. They sacrificed much, displayed tenderness, but never surrendered toughness. Thankfully, none of these women have had to report their children to the police.
At this time of year, I salute them – I salute each of them because, in their mothering, they cared more for the character than the image of their children. I salute these women because their passion for Jesus is greater than their passion for religion. The words of the Proverbs 31 woman ably describe each of them – “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” (Proverbs 31:29). Happy Mother’s Day!
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Two Slivers of Hope
I am among the 82% of Americans who are disgusted with the current presidential campaign. Yes, I am eager for the campaign to end. I am sick of hearing quips like, “Clinton is a crook”, and “Trump is a creep”. One seasoned journalist described the campaign as “the most negative and ‘issue-less’ one of my career.”
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the two most unpopular presidential candidates in more than 30 years of ABC News/Washington Post polling. Among US adults, Hillary Clinton has a 56% unfavourability rating while Donald Trump has 63%. According to Gallup, Trump and Clinton are currently among the worst-rated presidential candidates of the last seven decades.
Amid my political despair, I came across two slivers of hope. The first was my introduction to The Presidential Leadership Scholars Program – I wish it were mandatory for all political candidates to graduate from this great six-month program.
According to the program’s website, “The Presidential Leadership Scholars program is designed for leaders from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment to facing society’s greatest challenges.
The program looks for participants who have the desire and capacity to take their leadership strengths to a higher level in order to help their communities and emboldens them with the practical skills needed to drive solution-oriented action.”
The program draws on the strengths and leadership initiatives of four affiliated presidential centers. By including a bipartisan roster of presidential centers – two Republican and two Democratic – and by enjoying the engagement of former presidents from both parties, the program creates a rare opportunity to instill in students a brand of principled leadership that transcends diverse backgrounds.
This executive-style education series creates a life-long network for Scholars from the business, public service, nonprofit, and military sectors and fosters opportunities for leaders to emerge ready to offer solutions to pressing national problems.
The Presidential Leadership Scholars program aims to build a strong and diverse alumni network that can put the lessons of cooperation and collaborative problem-solving to use in a variety of sectors and inspire a new kind of leadership.
I would hope that with this non-partisan professional program, America would never again have to nominate the cadre of political candidates we see in this 2016 cycle. Among alumni from this program, it is most unlikely to hear descriptions like crook and creep.
My second sliver of hope came during my studies, in preparation for preaching this weekend. I will be unpacking one of the key verses from the Old Testament book of Daniel. Daniel and his people were in captivity in Babylon. Unlike America, Babylon was a despotic autocracy.
It was in that ungodly and cruel context the theme of the book of Daniel emerged – “the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes” (Daniel 5:21). It was in that context some of the clearest biblical statements of courage and fortitude emerged.
The prophet Jeremiah was addressing exiles in that context when he wrote, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
Like Babylon, America is religiously diverse, but not committed to the God of Abraham. We are becoming more interested in eclectic spirituality than in pursuing a biblical worldview – a system that affirms God as sovereign. Or, as expressed in my sermon topic for this weekend: “God Is In Charge Here”! Looking at America today through these lenses, gives me hope.
In his book, The Handwriting on the Wall, David Jeremiah contends, “Christians should be the calmest people on earth. We have no right to run around this world in frenzied activity, staying up and walking the floor at night, wondering what is going to happen. God in heaven rules the kingdoms of men.”
So be calm. By Tuesday, November 8, 2016 we will know who will be in the White House in January. However, prior to and after that time, our God will still be reigning “over the kingdoms of men...”.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the two most unpopular presidential candidates in more than 30 years of ABC News/Washington Post polling. Among US adults, Hillary Clinton has a 56% unfavourability rating while Donald Trump has 63%. According to Gallup, Trump and Clinton are currently among the worst-rated presidential candidates of the last seven decades.
Amid my political despair, I came across two slivers of hope. The first was my introduction to The Presidential Leadership Scholars Program – I wish it were mandatory for all political candidates to graduate from this great six-month program.
According to the program’s website, “The Presidential Leadership Scholars program is designed for leaders from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment to facing society’s greatest challenges.
The program looks for participants who have the desire and capacity to take their leadership strengths to a higher level in order to help their communities and emboldens them with the practical skills needed to drive solution-oriented action.”
The program draws on the strengths and leadership initiatives of four affiliated presidential centers. By including a bipartisan roster of presidential centers – two Republican and two Democratic – and by enjoying the engagement of former presidents from both parties, the program creates a rare opportunity to instill in students a brand of principled leadership that transcends diverse backgrounds.
This executive-style education series creates a life-long network for Scholars from the business, public service, nonprofit, and military sectors and fosters opportunities for leaders to emerge ready to offer solutions to pressing national problems.
The Presidential Leadership Scholars program aims to build a strong and diverse alumni network that can put the lessons of cooperation and collaborative problem-solving to use in a variety of sectors and inspire a new kind of leadership.
I would hope that with this non-partisan professional program, America would never again have to nominate the cadre of political candidates we see in this 2016 cycle. Among alumni from this program, it is most unlikely to hear descriptions like crook and creep.
My second sliver of hope came during my studies, in preparation for preaching this weekend. I will be unpacking one of the key verses from the Old Testament book of Daniel. Daniel and his people were in captivity in Babylon. Unlike America, Babylon was a despotic autocracy.
It was in that ungodly and cruel context the theme of the book of Daniel emerged – “the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes” (Daniel 5:21). It was in that context some of the clearest biblical statements of courage and fortitude emerged.
The prophet Jeremiah was addressing exiles in that context when he wrote, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
Like Babylon, America is religiously diverse, but not committed to the God of Abraham. We are becoming more interested in eclectic spirituality than in pursuing a biblical worldview – a system that affirms God as sovereign. Or, as expressed in my sermon topic for this weekend: “God Is In Charge Here”! Looking at America today through these lenses, gives me hope.
In his book, The Handwriting on the Wall, David Jeremiah contends, “Christians should be the calmest people on earth. We have no right to run around this world in frenzied activity, staying up and walking the floor at night, wondering what is going to happen. God in heaven rules the kingdoms of men.”
So be calm. By Tuesday, November 8, 2016 we will know who will be in the White House in January. However, prior to and after that time, our God will still be reigning “over the kingdoms of men...”.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
I Intend to Vote!
Upon becoming a citizen of the United States, I knew I would earn the right to vote - that right I cherish. Especially now, considering that some 70% of Americans believe that the country is on the wrong track. My vote might just make the difference to stem this downward trend.
Agreed, the political climate is toxic. However, that toxicity is because of the personalities in the presidential race and not because of the issues at stake. To ignore the issues and focus almost exclusively on leadership traits is a distraction. From a recent survey, the American Psychological Association concluded that more than 50% of American adults view the 2016 election cycle as “a very or somewhat” significant source of stress.
Interestingly, the stress is not only among Americans. Stress and curiosity go beyond foreign policy and security. American policies on trade, immigration, the environment and even health care often carry implications for other nations.
I can make a difference and I intend to do so on Tuesday, November 8. However, as I prayerfully prepare myself to vote, I know that I cannot limit my thinking to the two presidential candidates. As far as I am concerned, both candidates lack the moral authority to lead America. To date, the variety of salacious disclosures will make it very difficult for either candidate to lead with integrity.
However, as I prepare to vote, I will be forced to vote for the candidate who best represents the positions which are important to me. I will vote for the candidate who supports the appointment of justices and judges who respect constitutional limits and the authority of states.
I am aware that the next president may select as many as four justices to the Supreme Court. These justices will decide on cultural issues that will affect me, my children and my grandchildren. Both presidential candidates have indicated the kind of persons they would like to serve on the Supreme Court – there is a stark ideological difference. In addition, the next president will appoint district and appellate judges throughout the nation.
As a person of color, I am very concerned that on average, 870 black babies are aborted every day in the United States. Did you know that, annually, abortion among black Americans causes more deaths than every other cause of death combined? Regardless of color, every life is sacred, and I will be voting for a presidential candidate that is sensitive to this concern.
My faith defines me and the Bill of Rights protects my right to practice my faith. I want to live according to the dictates of my conscience. I have no problem living in a religiously diverse culture. I want to be sure that all faith-based institutions are protected from government discrimination. Whichever presidential candidate protects these rights will get my vote.
The institution of marriage, defined as a union between a man and a woman, has served every culture for millennia. Both social scientists and theologians will agree that “the institution of marriage is the relationship that best provides for the most favorable exercise of human sexuality, the overall well-being of adults, and the proper socialization of children.” Agreed, other familial relationships meet similar needs. However, lifelong, monogamous marriage is the best option.
If the above is true, then why demonize this option? Researcher Glen Stanton is correct, “Marriage has no close rival. It stands independently above any other option: singleness, cohabitation, divorce and remarriage.” I am eager to vote for a candidate who shares my passion.
When my family and I came to this country 25 years ago, our privileges were limited by our overseas student status. I was determined to live within the immigration limits placed on us. I had a moral obligation to model to my children that we were a law-abiding family. In addition, I had a biblical obligation to display consistency in all areas of my life. We were deprived of luxuries, but maintained our integrity.
I want other immigrants to have a similar appreciation for the laws of the land. It was good to hear the officer say at my citizenship interview, “We are sorry it took so long, but welcome to America.” I plan to vote for a presidential candidate who respects the process of law and order when it comes to immigration. Everyone wins when we play clean. You now know why I intend to vote on November 8.
Agreed, the political climate is toxic. However, that toxicity is because of the personalities in the presidential race and not because of the issues at stake. To ignore the issues and focus almost exclusively on leadership traits is a distraction. From a recent survey, the American Psychological Association concluded that more than 50% of American adults view the 2016 election cycle as “a very or somewhat” significant source of stress.
Interestingly, the stress is not only among Americans. Stress and curiosity go beyond foreign policy and security. American policies on trade, immigration, the environment and even health care often carry implications for other nations.
I can make a difference and I intend to do so on Tuesday, November 8. However, as I prayerfully prepare myself to vote, I know that I cannot limit my thinking to the two presidential candidates. As far as I am concerned, both candidates lack the moral authority to lead America. To date, the variety of salacious disclosures will make it very difficult for either candidate to lead with integrity.
However, as I prepare to vote, I will be forced to vote for the candidate who best represents the positions which are important to me. I will vote for the candidate who supports the appointment of justices and judges who respect constitutional limits and the authority of states.
I am aware that the next president may select as many as four justices to the Supreme Court. These justices will decide on cultural issues that will affect me, my children and my grandchildren. Both presidential candidates have indicated the kind of persons they would like to serve on the Supreme Court – there is a stark ideological difference. In addition, the next president will appoint district and appellate judges throughout the nation.
As a person of color, I am very concerned that on average, 870 black babies are aborted every day in the United States. Did you know that, annually, abortion among black Americans causes more deaths than every other cause of death combined? Regardless of color, every life is sacred, and I will be voting for a presidential candidate that is sensitive to this concern.
My faith defines me and the Bill of Rights protects my right to practice my faith. I want to live according to the dictates of my conscience. I have no problem living in a religiously diverse culture. I want to be sure that all faith-based institutions are protected from government discrimination. Whichever presidential candidate protects these rights will get my vote.
The institution of marriage, defined as a union between a man and a woman, has served every culture for millennia. Both social scientists and theologians will agree that “the institution of marriage is the relationship that best provides for the most favorable exercise of human sexuality, the overall well-being of adults, and the proper socialization of children.” Agreed, other familial relationships meet similar needs. However, lifelong, monogamous marriage is the best option.
If the above is true, then why demonize this option? Researcher Glen Stanton is correct, “Marriage has no close rival. It stands independently above any other option: singleness, cohabitation, divorce and remarriage.” I am eager to vote for a candidate who shares my passion.
When my family and I came to this country 25 years ago, our privileges were limited by our overseas student status. I was determined to live within the immigration limits placed on us. I had a moral obligation to model to my children that we were a law-abiding family. In addition, I had a biblical obligation to display consistency in all areas of my life. We were deprived of luxuries, but maintained our integrity.
I want other immigrants to have a similar appreciation for the laws of the land. It was good to hear the officer say at my citizenship interview, “We are sorry it took so long, but welcome to America.” I plan to vote for a presidential candidate who respects the process of law and order when it comes to immigration. Everyone wins when we play clean. You now know why I intend to vote on November 8.
Friday, July 29, 2016
White Privilege
When we migrated to America twenty-five years ago, we were often told that we were not seen as being black. We understood then, that that was a statement of acceptance. Acceptance by others who determined that our conduct was not a threat to their way of living.
I believe those who affirmed us were genuine. They were unconscious of assuming and displaying a posture of privilege. On one occasion, I was visiting a woman who was dying in hospital. During that visit, my presence was questioned by a white nurse. The white husband of the dying woman sensed the racist tone in the nurse’s question. Although he was not being addressed, the husband answered – “He is our pastor.” With that, the nurse left the room.
In coming to my defense, that husband and two other white friends who were present, were utilizing their inherited privilege. Simply put, they were raised in a society that attached significance to their ethnicity. They tapped into that inherited right and defended me.
Those memories of life in Midwest America returned while watching a video someone sent me a few days ago. The story in the video was told by a black woman. She and her sister-in-law grew up together. Her sister-in-law was half white and half black with blue eyes, “whiter than most white folks.” Along with their spouses and children, they shared wonderful, multicultural family times.
Both women were in the check-out line at a neighborhood supermarket. Kathleen, the sister-in-law, checked her groceries first. The cashier who was a strawberry blond, freckled and extremely warm, engaged Kathleen in pleasant small talk. During the friendly exchange, Kathleen prepared and submitted a personal check for her groceries. “She picked up her groceries and waited for me a few feet away.”
“It was now my turn to be served. The pleasant demeanor that Kathleen got was gone. My groceries were checked and I got my check book ready to pay.” On submitting my check I was told that I needed two pieces of identification.”
My ten-year old daughter who was witnessing this ordeal began to cry. “Mommy, why is she doing this to us?” I am now trying to figure-out how best to react to this ordeal. Behind me are two elderly white women – I know I had to avoid becoming the typical “angry black woman.”
I chose to avoid conflict and submitted the two pieces of identification that the cashier requested. I could not imagine that this situation could get worse until the cashier pulled out the “bad checks book.” She wanted to see if I was listed among customers with a bounced-check record.
By this time, I am thoroughly humiliated and my daughter is sobbing with embarrassment. My sister-in-law Kathleen had seen enough. She intervened.
“Excuse me! Why are you doing this?” “What do you mean?” replied the cashier. “Why are you taking her through all of these procedures, why are you doing this?” “Well, this is our policy.” “This is not your policy - you did not do this to me.”
“Well, I know you,” said the cashier. “No! No! She has been living here for years. I have only lived here for three months,” said Kathleen. At this point the two white elderly ladies exclaimed, “Oh, we can’t believe what this cashier has done with this woman – this is totally unacceptable.”
On hearing the commotion, the manager walked over – “Is there a problem here?” “Oh yes,” replied Kathleen. “There is a problem here and this is what happened.”
Although Kathleen was half black and half white, she used her white privilege to point out an injustice. Her stand for justice influenced others around her. Kathleen knew, that because of her color, she inherited rights from society – in other words, white privilege. She used that right to educate and correct an injustice.
Like me, had this black woman reacted, she would have been perceived to be another angry black. It was the person with the assumed privilege to make the difference. However, to make such a difference, requires courage and an awareness that one's pigmentation does not make one superior.
Not until we continue to have authentic conversations and apply biblical truth to our discourse, would we begin to see things differently. When non-Jewish Christians were being treated as second-class believers, Paul insisted, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
Agreed, white privilege can be destructive, and more so among Christians. In Christ, Christians should celebrate ethnic differences and not use such differences as badges of privilege.
I believe those who affirmed us were genuine. They were unconscious of assuming and displaying a posture of privilege. On one occasion, I was visiting a woman who was dying in hospital. During that visit, my presence was questioned by a white nurse. The white husband of the dying woman sensed the racist tone in the nurse’s question. Although he was not being addressed, the husband answered – “He is our pastor.” With that, the nurse left the room.
In coming to my defense, that husband and two other white friends who were present, were utilizing their inherited privilege. Simply put, they were raised in a society that attached significance to their ethnicity. They tapped into that inherited right and defended me.
Those memories of life in Midwest America returned while watching a video someone sent me a few days ago. The story in the video was told by a black woman. She and her sister-in-law grew up together. Her sister-in-law was half white and half black with blue eyes, “whiter than most white folks.” Along with their spouses and children, they shared wonderful, multicultural family times.
Both women were in the check-out line at a neighborhood supermarket. Kathleen, the sister-in-law, checked her groceries first. The cashier who was a strawberry blond, freckled and extremely warm, engaged Kathleen in pleasant small talk. During the friendly exchange, Kathleen prepared and submitted a personal check for her groceries. “She picked up her groceries and waited for me a few feet away.”
“It was now my turn to be served. The pleasant demeanor that Kathleen got was gone. My groceries were checked and I got my check book ready to pay.” On submitting my check I was told that I needed two pieces of identification.”
My ten-year old daughter who was witnessing this ordeal began to cry. “Mommy, why is she doing this to us?” I am now trying to figure-out how best to react to this ordeal. Behind me are two elderly white women – I know I had to avoid becoming the typical “angry black woman.”
I chose to avoid conflict and submitted the two pieces of identification that the cashier requested. I could not imagine that this situation could get worse until the cashier pulled out the “bad checks book.” She wanted to see if I was listed among customers with a bounced-check record.
By this time, I am thoroughly humiliated and my daughter is sobbing with embarrassment. My sister-in-law Kathleen had seen enough. She intervened.
“Excuse me! Why are you doing this?” “What do you mean?” replied the cashier. “Why are you taking her through all of these procedures, why are you doing this?” “Well, this is our policy.” “This is not your policy - you did not do this to me.”
“Well, I know you,” said the cashier. “No! No! She has been living here for years. I have only lived here for three months,” said Kathleen. At this point the two white elderly ladies exclaimed, “Oh, we can’t believe what this cashier has done with this woman – this is totally unacceptable.”
On hearing the commotion, the manager walked over – “Is there a problem here?” “Oh yes,” replied Kathleen. “There is a problem here and this is what happened.”
Although Kathleen was half black and half white, she used her white privilege to point out an injustice. Her stand for justice influenced others around her. Kathleen knew, that because of her color, she inherited rights from society – in other words, white privilege. She used that right to educate and correct an injustice.
Like me, had this black woman reacted, she would have been perceived to be another angry black. It was the person with the assumed privilege to make the difference. However, to make such a difference, requires courage and an awareness that one's pigmentation does not make one superior.
Not until we continue to have authentic conversations and apply biblical truth to our discourse, would we begin to see things differently. When non-Jewish Christians were being treated as second-class believers, Paul insisted, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
Agreed, white privilege can be destructive, and more so among Christians. In Christ, Christians should celebrate ethnic differences and not use such differences as badges of privilege.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Death of Marriage?
On June 23 my wife and I celebrated 43 years of marriage. Our celebrations included a 1200-mile road trip from Missouri to Florida. On the actual day of our anniversary, we awoke to a Jamaican breakfast, prepared by the woman who catered for our wedding in 1973 – how nostalgic!
However, much of that nostalgia fades in light of the growing decline of traditional marriage in America. A recent study from the Pew Research Center found a number of interesting trends in their most recent look at marriage in America. For one, the study found that after years of declining marriage rates, the percentage of Americans who have never been married has reached a historic high point.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, within the last ten years, homes headed by married couples increased by 7%. Within the same period, homes headed by unmarried couples increased by 72%.
According to Sam Sturgeon, president of Demographic Intelligence, “the United States has been experiencing a “cultural retreat from marriage”. Factors like economics, education, careers and decline in religious interest contribute significantly to the decline in traditional marriage.
However, we need to ask ourselves, is traditional marriage significant enough to warrant defending? Some in human potential movements view marriage as a potential threat to individual fulfillment. Proponents of the new psychologies contend that marriage thwarts the highest forms of human needs – autonomy, independence, growth and creativity.
According to Waite and Gallagher, in their volume, The Case for Marriage, “the search for autonomy and independence as the highest good blossomed with the women’s movement into a critique of marriage per se, which the more flamboyant feminists denounced as ‘slavery and legalized rape, tied up with a sense of dependency.’”
That assessment does not describe what my wife and I have experienced in marriage. Our advanced studies and experience have given us reason to believe that our marriage has been good for our children, their children and the wider community.
Valuable research confirms that by a broad range of indices, marriage is actually better for you. Married people live longer, are healthier, accumulate more wealth, feel more fulfillment in their lives, enjoy more satisfying sexual relationships, and have happier and more successful children, than persons who remain single, cohabit, or get divorced.
Civil society benefits from stable marriages. Marriage, and by extension, families, are themselves small societies. These societies establish the network of relatives and in-laws and sustain a key ingredient of the “social capital” that facilitates many kinds of beneficial civic associations and private groups.
The virtues acquired within the family – generosity, self-sacrifice, trust, self-discipline – are crucial in every domain of social life. Children who grow up in broken families often fail to acquire these elemental habits of character.
Children, whose parents fail to get and stay married are at an increased risk of poverty, dependency, substance abuse, educational failure, juvenile delinquency, early unwed pregnancy, and a host of other destructive behaviors. When whole families and neighborhoods become dominated by fatherless homes, these risks increase even further.
Strong, intact families stabilize the state and decrease the need for costly and intrusive bureaucratic social agencies. Families provide for their vulnerable members, produce new citizens with virtues such as loyalty and generosity and engender concern for the common good.
Given the clear benefits of marriage, I believe the state should defend traditional marriage against the intrusion of alternative family structures that are incapable of producing comparable social outcomes. The public goods uniquely provided by traditional marriage are recognizable by reasonable persons, regardless of religious or secular worldviews.
The Witherspoon Institute, in its publication, Marriage and the Public Good, accurately states that “in virtually every known human society, the institution of marriage has served and continues to serve three important public purposes. First, marriage is the institution through which societies seek to organize the bearing and rearing of children.
Secondly, marriage provides direction, order and stability to adult sexual unions. Lastly, marriage civilizes men, furnishing them with a sense of purpose, norms and social status that orient their lives away from vice and toward virtue.”
Long before these studies, the Bible referred to marriage as honorable (Hebrews 13:4). In its original form, “honorable” implies, valuable, priceless, worthy of respect and deserving of esteem. For the last 43 years, I have found that to be true.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Happy New Year!
Respond to the following - depending on your answers, I will know if you are my colleague:
□ I used a manual typewriter
□ I used a public telephone booth
□ I used a slate in kindergarten
□ I used reel to reel audio recordings
□ I used black and white television
If you never used any of the above items, you are younger than I am. What a difference a few decades make. Today I don’t know if I can function without an iPhone or my laptop. Even words like tablets and default have new meanings.
My world has changed and I must be prepared to change with it. If I don’t, very soon I may not be able to communicate with my grandchildren. One grandson was not even four, when he explained some function on the television to my wife.
With that backdrop we say, Welcome to 2016 – a year when many jobs will disappear and be replaced by smart machines. Although wanting greater independence, many younger people will continue to depend on older folks to make ends meet.
A freshly released Pew Research Center study indicates that a larger-than-expected percentage of young people are still living with their parents rather than moving out and perhaps buying a place of their own.
Some of these young people have been referred to as the grab-and-go generation, with 29% saying that they often purchase food and drink while on the run, compared with 19% of consumers overall. Research is confirming that gas stations/ convenience stores are becoming the preferred choice for fast foods among post-millennialists.
But to whom are we referring when we talk about post-millennialists? We are talking about young people born since the late nineties – they are dubbed Generation Z, home-landers and at times, simply posts. Many posts know nothing about 9/11.
Today’s 'posts' want to be defined by being connected, both from a technological standpoint and a social standpoint. They don't think money matters much and they're not interested in taking on debt. According to one sociologist, “posts are not colossally ambitious, perhaps as a coping mechanism, but they're optimistic in the face of economic challenges.”
As they grow up and begin living on their own, posts likely will adopt a near-migrant lifestyle, zeroing in on warm cities that offer an abundance of inexpensive housing and fledgling indie (independent) scenes. They'll move constantly in an attempt to find better work, better balance and that ever-elusive happiness.
I chuckle at times when I see how my students think – at times I am looking for a notepad (note book) on which to write. While I am looking, they are recording the same information digitally, using their smart phones. They transfer notes to their smart phones. They shop using their smart phones. At church, they read their Bibles on their smart phones.
Did you know that in order to understand future trends, one can even pursue as course in Professional Foresight? This is a transdisciplinary educational program of study that seeks to improve one's ability to create, anticipate, and manage change in a variety of domains, on a variety of scales, and using a variety of specialties. Creating, anticipating, and managing change in our increasingly fast-paced and globalized technological world is an ongoing challenge, and building a global culture of foresight proficiency provides great social value.
For many of us who will not be pursuing courses in Professional Foresight, there is no need to feel useless as we look at 2016 and the years ahead. Whereas many of the courses equip students to analyze, providing solutions is another matter. Considering that habits are better caught than taught, I believe someone needs to model value-based solutions to tomorrow’s generation.
Many of us who raised children without the frequent support of grandparents, must now make ourselves available to our children and grandchildren. We need to pass on our understanding of commitment and stability, crucial in any family. Even though we faced major challenges, we understood the value of commitment in times of crisis. We resolved our differences privately, face to face, not publicly via Facebook.
We made time to eat together. At those meal tables we learned graces; we learned to appreciate community; we respected authority and valued faith. In addition, we learned to be content with what was served. This is why I intend to invite some young families to maintain this family board room - a place where nourishment and nurturing flourish – that’s my New Year resolution.
□ I used a manual typewriter
□ I used a public telephone booth
□ I used a slate in kindergarten
□ I used reel to reel audio recordings
□ I used black and white television
If you never used any of the above items, you are younger than I am. What a difference a few decades make. Today I don’t know if I can function without an iPhone or my laptop. Even words like tablets and default have new meanings.
My world has changed and I must be prepared to change with it. If I don’t, very soon I may not be able to communicate with my grandchildren. One grandson was not even four, when he explained some function on the television to my wife.
With that backdrop we say, Welcome to 2016 – a year when many jobs will disappear and be replaced by smart machines. Although wanting greater independence, many younger people will continue to depend on older folks to make ends meet.
A freshly released Pew Research Center study indicates that a larger-than-expected percentage of young people are still living with their parents rather than moving out and perhaps buying a place of their own.
Some of these young people have been referred to as the grab-and-go generation, with 29% saying that they often purchase food and drink while on the run, compared with 19% of consumers overall. Research is confirming that gas stations/ convenience stores are becoming the preferred choice for fast foods among post-millennialists.
But to whom are we referring when we talk about post-millennialists? We are talking about young people born since the late nineties – they are dubbed Generation Z, home-landers and at times, simply posts. Many posts know nothing about 9/11.
Today’s 'posts' want to be defined by being connected, both from a technological standpoint and a social standpoint. They don't think money matters much and they're not interested in taking on debt. According to one sociologist, “posts are not colossally ambitious, perhaps as a coping mechanism, but they're optimistic in the face of economic challenges.”
As they grow up and begin living on their own, posts likely will adopt a near-migrant lifestyle, zeroing in on warm cities that offer an abundance of inexpensive housing and fledgling indie (independent) scenes. They'll move constantly in an attempt to find better work, better balance and that ever-elusive happiness.
I chuckle at times when I see how my students think – at times I am looking for a notepad (note book) on which to write. While I am looking, they are recording the same information digitally, using their smart phones. They transfer notes to their smart phones. They shop using their smart phones. At church, they read their Bibles on their smart phones.
Did you know that in order to understand future trends, one can even pursue as course in Professional Foresight? This is a transdisciplinary educational program of study that seeks to improve one's ability to create, anticipate, and manage change in a variety of domains, on a variety of scales, and using a variety of specialties. Creating, anticipating, and managing change in our increasingly fast-paced and globalized technological world is an ongoing challenge, and building a global culture of foresight proficiency provides great social value.
For many of us who will not be pursuing courses in Professional Foresight, there is no need to feel useless as we look at 2016 and the years ahead. Whereas many of the courses equip students to analyze, providing solutions is another matter. Considering that habits are better caught than taught, I believe someone needs to model value-based solutions to tomorrow’s generation.
Many of us who raised children without the frequent support of grandparents, must now make ourselves available to our children and grandchildren. We need to pass on our understanding of commitment and stability, crucial in any family. Even though we faced major challenges, we understood the value of commitment in times of crisis. We resolved our differences privately, face to face, not publicly via Facebook.
We made time to eat together. At those meal tables we learned graces; we learned to appreciate community; we respected authority and valued faith. In addition, we learned to be content with what was served. This is why I intend to invite some young families to maintain this family board room - a place where nourishment and nurturing flourish – that’s my New Year resolution.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Goodnight Friend
When teenage children feel as comfortable as their parents, with their parents’ friends, something special is happening. We found that to be true after meeting Jack and Karen Mitchell almost 25 years ago.
The relationship between our families was so special that we had hoped some lifelong relationship could develop among the children.
Our friend Jack died a few days ago. Last year he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Recent research suggests the disease is possibly caused by sawdust, allergies, acid reflux, all of which Jack had or was exposed to. The disease causes the lung tissue to scar, thus not allowing oxygen to get through to the cells.
We met Jack in Illinois, shortly after coming to America to pursue advanced studies in 1991. Our paths crossed frequently as I shared the pulpit at the church he pastored in Wheaton. Those engagements often included family meals and opportunities to meet other foreign students studying in the area.
After relocating, 400 miles seemed near as we travelled to surprise Jack for his fiftieth birthday. He and Karen even travelled further in order to visit us in Florida. The internet kept us together as the Mitchells moved to Budapest and later Kenya. A few months ago we travelled almost 3,000 miles to visit Jack for the last time.
It was during that visit in California we reminisced on family times, his missionary assignments in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. We laughed, sang and remembered the Lord Jesus in the ordinance of communion.
I will miss Jack. He was an encourager and very dear friend. At times, he would be the only person to comment on my weekly commentaries. He was an astute thinker and student of the Scriptures. I will miss his insightful comments. Sometimes I wondered why he thought it necessary to get my permission to share my commentaries with his students in Kenya – he was so authentic. He just never wasted an opportunity to bless someone else.
Upon learning of his death, I am discovering that many others around the world share my sentiments.
Like Mausau Elijah, who in 2011 was leading a fellowship group in Jack’s house at Scott Christian University, Kenya. His opening remarks to the group were, "where will you be five years from now"? Among the many answers, Mausau remembers, “Jack, my mentor, friend, teacher, the disciple of righteousness said, 'I will be in heaven.’”
Jack was right, within five years he is no longer with us. What is obvious from the many tributes paid to Jack, is a sense of loss. Loss for Karen, his wife of more than 47 years. Loss for his four adult children and fourteen grandchildren. Loss for thousands of students, parishioners and friends. Much grief and great loss, but not hopelessness.
When confronted with the loss of loved ones in their church, the Thessalonians got word to the apostle Paul about their emotional and spiritual ambivalence. In his reply, he acknowledged the emotional impact of grief. However, he made a distinction between the grief one experiences when a Christian dies, as opposed to when a non-Christian dies.
Hear Paul’s actual words, “Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who fall asleep, or grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The implication is clear – Christians who die have hope. We understand that inscriptions on tombs and references in literature show that first-century non-Christians viewed death with horror. Death was the end of everything.
Paul contends, Christians should view death differently. For the Christian it is a confidence in crisis. That confidence is not in the loss of the loved one, but the outcome that results from that loss. But how is a confident outcome possible if someone is dead? Isn’t death a cessation of life?
Actually, in this context, Paul preferred the term “fall asleep” instead of death. The term “fall asleep” conveys the idea of temporariness, as opposed to permanent absence. In the following verse Paul goes on to provide a basis for his “fall asleep” idea.
He argues, “... Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (v.14). Paul resorts to history, not philosophy to substantiate his point. As far as he was concerned, the death and resurrection of Jesus were historical realities. Similarly, Christians who die, will rise again, just as Jesus died and rose again.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reinforces this point: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost...” (1 Corinthians 15:16-20). In other words, the Christian’s hope is not in a mere idea, but in a Person – Jesus Christ.
It is for this reason, I found it more appropriate to entitle this commentary “Goodnight Friend” – a Good Morning is anticipated when the Mitchell family and Jack will meet again.
 |
| The Mitchell and Corbin families in Wheaton, Illinois. |
 |
| Jack & Karen with our daughter, Candace at a Fountainside church picnic in Florida. |
Our friend Jack died a few days ago. Last year he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Recent research suggests the disease is possibly caused by sawdust, allergies, acid reflux, all of which Jack had or was exposed to. The disease causes the lung tissue to scar, thus not allowing oxygen to get through to the cells.
We met Jack in Illinois, shortly after coming to America to pursue advanced studies in 1991. Our paths crossed frequently as I shared the pulpit at the church he pastored in Wheaton. Those engagements often included family meals and opportunities to meet other foreign students studying in the area.
After relocating, 400 miles seemed near as we travelled to surprise Jack for his fiftieth birthday. He and Karen even travelled further in order to visit us in Florida. The internet kept us together as the Mitchells moved to Budapest and later Kenya. A few months ago we travelled almost 3,000 miles to visit Jack for the last time.
It was during that visit in California we reminisced on family times, his missionary assignments in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. We laughed, sang and remembered the Lord Jesus in the ordinance of communion.
I will miss Jack. He was an encourager and very dear friend. At times, he would be the only person to comment on my weekly commentaries. He was an astute thinker and student of the Scriptures. I will miss his insightful comments. Sometimes I wondered why he thought it necessary to get my permission to share my commentaries with his students in Kenya – he was so authentic. He just never wasted an opportunity to bless someone else.
Upon learning of his death, I am discovering that many others around the world share my sentiments.
Like Mausau Elijah, who in 2011 was leading a fellowship group in Jack’s house at Scott Christian University, Kenya. His opening remarks to the group were, "where will you be five years from now"? Among the many answers, Mausau remembers, “Jack, my mentor, friend, teacher, the disciple of righteousness said, 'I will be in heaven.’”
Jack was right, within five years he is no longer with us. What is obvious from the many tributes paid to Jack, is a sense of loss. Loss for Karen, his wife of more than 47 years. Loss for his four adult children and fourteen grandchildren. Loss for thousands of students, parishioners and friends. Much grief and great loss, but not hopelessness.
When confronted with the loss of loved ones in their church, the Thessalonians got word to the apostle Paul about their emotional and spiritual ambivalence. In his reply, he acknowledged the emotional impact of grief. However, he made a distinction between the grief one experiences when a Christian dies, as opposed to when a non-Christian dies.
Hear Paul’s actual words, “Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who fall asleep, or grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The implication is clear – Christians who die have hope. We understand that inscriptions on tombs and references in literature show that first-century non-Christians viewed death with horror. Death was the end of everything.
Paul contends, Christians should view death differently. For the Christian it is a confidence in crisis. That confidence is not in the loss of the loved one, but the outcome that results from that loss. But how is a confident outcome possible if someone is dead? Isn’t death a cessation of life?
Actually, in this context, Paul preferred the term “fall asleep” instead of death. The term “fall asleep” conveys the idea of temporariness, as opposed to permanent absence. In the following verse Paul goes on to provide a basis for his “fall asleep” idea.
He argues, “... Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (v.14). Paul resorts to history, not philosophy to substantiate his point. As far as he was concerned, the death and resurrection of Jesus were historical realities. Similarly, Christians who die, will rise again, just as Jesus died and rose again.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reinforces this point: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost...” (1 Corinthians 15:16-20). In other words, the Christian’s hope is not in a mere idea, but in a Person – Jesus Christ.
It is for this reason, I found it more appropriate to entitle this commentary “Goodnight Friend” – a Good Morning is anticipated when the Mitchell family and Jack will meet again.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Immigrants!
Our first request to migrate to the United States was turned down. The immigration department feared, as graduate students, we would become a liability to America. It was a church that came to our rescue. Recently I reminded the New York congregation of their compassionate gesture almost 25 years ago.
For decades, churches have had to balance compassion and immigration - especially among illegal immigrants. Christians are expected to show care to everyone, especially to the less fortunate. The writer to the New Testament book of Hebrews stated clearly: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Honestly, I have been blessed as an immigrant. Trinidad and Tobago first opened the doors to my grandparents from Barbados, later the country did the same for my mother as an infant from St. Vincent. Jamaica opened her borders to me as a student, and 42 years later I call a Jamaican my wife.
One can therefore understand my sensitivities to immigration issues in the United States – possibly the most ethnically diverse country in the world. Agreed, for security and national identity, we must secure our borders and put equitable laws in place.
The recent random, heartless murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by a five-time illegal alien deportee, who benefited from the city’s sanctuary policy has law-abiding Americans, law enforcement officials and political opportunists of all stripes up in arms.
Many are equally annoyed by churches across the country that are brazenly thumbing their noses at immigration laws. For instance, in Northeast Portland, Oregan, the Augustana Lutheran Church is shielding illegal alien Franscisco Aguirre-Velasquez, after he committed drunk driving and drug crimes and violated deportation laws.
In Chicago, illegal alien Elvira Arellano settled at the United Methodist Church of Adalberto for a year before finally being ejected back to Mexico. Last year, the serial law-breaker somehow returned to the Windy City to protest her status “in the shadows.”
Like in my case, it is one thing to show compassion to legal immigrants, legitimate refugees and to persons who were abused and mistreated. It is quite another matter to conspire against orderly immigration laws.
The mixture of compassion and politics leave the church confused. Is there another way to address unfair immigration laws? According to the Bible, compassion is not optional. Early in Jewish history, the Hebrews were reminded: "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21).
Hundreds of years later, at the time of King Solomon, there were about 150,000 non-Jews in Israel (2 Chron. 2:17) or about a tenth of the country’s total population. As is usual today, most of these were unskilled workers (1 Chron. 22:2; 2 Chron. 8:7-8).
However, the question remains, what should be the church’s attitude to illegal immigrants today? I have found Chawkat Moucarry’s volume, The Prophet and the Messiah: An Arab Christian’s Perspective on Islam and Christianity to be most helpful. In this volume, Dr. Moucarry suggests at least three things:
Watchfulness – we must always keep in mind the danger of nationalism, whose victims would be minority groups living within the borders of nations. The practice of “ethnic cleansing”, the rise of extreme right-wing theories and inter-tribal warfare remind us that this danger is real and current.
At the global level the more powerful nations need to be on guard against exploiting poorer and weaker ones, and as Christians we should play our part in encouraging governments to develop international relations founded on principles of solidarity and equity.
Clear-mindedness and Tolerance - Christians should know better than others what really separates people from one another: the hardest barriers to break down are not geographic, political, economic or cultural, but spiritual. For instance, two Americans can be much more foreign to one another than a Mexican and an American who share the same faith in Jesus.
Evangelism - By sharing our lives and not just our words, immigrants will see that Jesus Christ really is unique: unique because of His life, His teaching, His love, His death and His resurrection. He is also unique because He alone can reconcile us to ourselves, to our neighbor and to our God: "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:12-13).
For decades, churches have had to balance compassion and immigration - especially among illegal immigrants. Christians are expected to show care to everyone, especially to the less fortunate. The writer to the New Testament book of Hebrews stated clearly: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Honestly, I have been blessed as an immigrant. Trinidad and Tobago first opened the doors to my grandparents from Barbados, later the country did the same for my mother as an infant from St. Vincent. Jamaica opened her borders to me as a student, and 42 years later I call a Jamaican my wife.
One can therefore understand my sensitivities to immigration issues in the United States – possibly the most ethnically diverse country in the world. Agreed, for security and national identity, we must secure our borders and put equitable laws in place.
The recent random, heartless murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by a five-time illegal alien deportee, who benefited from the city’s sanctuary policy has law-abiding Americans, law enforcement officials and political opportunists of all stripes up in arms.
Many are equally annoyed by churches across the country that are brazenly thumbing their noses at immigration laws. For instance, in Northeast Portland, Oregan, the Augustana Lutheran Church is shielding illegal alien Franscisco Aguirre-Velasquez, after he committed drunk driving and drug crimes and violated deportation laws.
In Chicago, illegal alien Elvira Arellano settled at the United Methodist Church of Adalberto for a year before finally being ejected back to Mexico. Last year, the serial law-breaker somehow returned to the Windy City to protest her status “in the shadows.”
Like in my case, it is one thing to show compassion to legal immigrants, legitimate refugees and to persons who were abused and mistreated. It is quite another matter to conspire against orderly immigration laws.
The mixture of compassion and politics leave the church confused. Is there another way to address unfair immigration laws? According to the Bible, compassion is not optional. Early in Jewish history, the Hebrews were reminded: "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21).
Hundreds of years later, at the time of King Solomon, there were about 150,000 non-Jews in Israel (2 Chron. 2:17) or about a tenth of the country’s total population. As is usual today, most of these were unskilled workers (1 Chron. 22:2; 2 Chron. 8:7-8).
However, the question remains, what should be the church’s attitude to illegal immigrants today? I have found Chawkat Moucarry’s volume, The Prophet and the Messiah: An Arab Christian’s Perspective on Islam and Christianity to be most helpful. In this volume, Dr. Moucarry suggests at least three things:
Watchfulness – we must always keep in mind the danger of nationalism, whose victims would be minority groups living within the borders of nations. The practice of “ethnic cleansing”, the rise of extreme right-wing theories and inter-tribal warfare remind us that this danger is real and current.
At the global level the more powerful nations need to be on guard against exploiting poorer and weaker ones, and as Christians we should play our part in encouraging governments to develop international relations founded on principles of solidarity and equity.
Clear-mindedness and Tolerance - Christians should know better than others what really separates people from one another: the hardest barriers to break down are not geographic, political, economic or cultural, but spiritual. For instance, two Americans can be much more foreign to one another than a Mexican and an American who share the same faith in Jesus.
Evangelism - By sharing our lives and not just our words, immigrants will see that Jesus Christ really is unique: unique because of His life, His teaching, His love, His death and His resurrection. He is also unique because He alone can reconcile us to ourselves, to our neighbor and to our God: "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:12-13).
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Happy New Year?
Honestly, we need happiness this year. The global picture is so gloomy. I foresee increasing conflicts in Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Europe and Asia. I want to be optimistic, but the global tension is too great to be ignored.
On the domestic front I foresee increasing racial and political tribalism. Already we have battle lines drawn with changes in Congress. I foresee major conflicts between the Executive and Congress, both branches of government. The anti-police rhetoric in New York and other cities is not a healthy sign for a prosperous New Year.
However, amidst the gloom, we must make room for a Happy New Year. In 2015, we expect thousands of students to graduate from a wide variety of institutions. We expect thousands to own homes and thousands more to become legitimate American citizens. We expect thousands to make positive career changes. We also expect thousands to experience life changing spiritual conversions. In essence, 2015 will be a year of hope for many Americans.
Let us build on this hope – it is much more than wishful thinking. Saya Hillman, a Martin Luther King scholarship recipient was correct when he said, “We could not survive if we could not dream, for it is our ability to dream that sustains us in the most wretched times.”
According to Hal Lindsay, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope.” The New Year brings new hopes and aspirations. It is a declaration that the old has gone and the new has come.
For me, 2015 will provide new adventures to enjoy, new memories to create and new relationships to establish. I will not wait to see if these will come my way – I intend to pursue opportunities that are different, bringing freshness and renewal.
A number of studies have found that this approach to life brings significant benefits, including improved physical health and better coping strategies. People who take time to reflect-on and celebrate their successes are generally more optimistic, take better care of themselves and tend to be less stressed. Celebrations increase people’s sense of well-being, regardless of socioeconomic factors, education, age or gender.
Like you, I have debt – far too much for my age. However, I would not allow my debt to hinder my need to celebrate. There are far more reasons to celebrate than to cry. In 2015 there will be birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and a wide variety of achievements.
For 2015 I intend to use every means possible to live as a victor and not as a victim. My wife and I will use our dining table to encourage, to embolden and to bring cheer to as many as possible. We have a plan to reach out to others who may find it difficult to come to us. We will continue to use the phone, electronic mail and every device possible to announce that 2015 must be lived as a happy New Year.
This reflection on New Year reminds me of what Jesus said to some Pharisees who challenged Him: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins” (Luke 5:37-38).
When Jesus spoke, there was no such thing as a bottle, as we know it. Bottles were made of animal skins. When new, these skins had a certain amount of elasticity. As they grew old, they became hard and unyielding.
The new wine to which Jesus referred, was still fermenting – it gave off gases. These gases caused pressure, and if the skin was new it would yield to the pressure. But if the skin was old and hard and dry, the wine will explode and everything would be lost.
In essence, Jesus was pleading for a certain amount of elasticity in our thinking. He was giving to the Pharisees a newness that could not be contained in their old ways of thinking. By using the illustration of the bottle, Jesus was acknowledging that there was a period of usefulness. However, that mindset, although formerly useful, needed to change to accommodate a new way of thinking.
In 2015, Jesus would be saying to us, whereas earlier decades may have been great, 2015 requires a new way of thinking – do not be afraid of new adventures. The challenges will be diverse and will require more intentional efforts to be different.
Like religious scholar Huston Smith, Jesus would most likely say that in 2015, “the human spirit is being suffocated by a dominant materialistic worldview.” The feeling that faith is not necessary in a world of science is an ill-advised worldview for anyone anticipating a meaningful Happy New Year.
On the domestic front I foresee increasing racial and political tribalism. Already we have battle lines drawn with changes in Congress. I foresee major conflicts between the Executive and Congress, both branches of government. The anti-police rhetoric in New York and other cities is not a healthy sign for a prosperous New Year.
However, amidst the gloom, we must make room for a Happy New Year. In 2015, we expect thousands of students to graduate from a wide variety of institutions. We expect thousands to own homes and thousands more to become legitimate American citizens. We expect thousands to make positive career changes. We also expect thousands to experience life changing spiritual conversions. In essence, 2015 will be a year of hope for many Americans.
Let us build on this hope – it is much more than wishful thinking. Saya Hillman, a Martin Luther King scholarship recipient was correct when he said, “We could not survive if we could not dream, for it is our ability to dream that sustains us in the most wretched times.”
According to Hal Lindsay, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope.” The New Year brings new hopes and aspirations. It is a declaration that the old has gone and the new has come.
For me, 2015 will provide new adventures to enjoy, new memories to create and new relationships to establish. I will not wait to see if these will come my way – I intend to pursue opportunities that are different, bringing freshness and renewal.
A number of studies have found that this approach to life brings significant benefits, including improved physical health and better coping strategies. People who take time to reflect-on and celebrate their successes are generally more optimistic, take better care of themselves and tend to be less stressed. Celebrations increase people’s sense of well-being, regardless of socioeconomic factors, education, age or gender.
Like you, I have debt – far too much for my age. However, I would not allow my debt to hinder my need to celebrate. There are far more reasons to celebrate than to cry. In 2015 there will be birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and a wide variety of achievements.
For 2015 I intend to use every means possible to live as a victor and not as a victim. My wife and I will use our dining table to encourage, to embolden and to bring cheer to as many as possible. We have a plan to reach out to others who may find it difficult to come to us. We will continue to use the phone, electronic mail and every device possible to announce that 2015 must be lived as a happy New Year.
This reflection on New Year reminds me of what Jesus said to some Pharisees who challenged Him: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins” (Luke 5:37-38).
When Jesus spoke, there was no such thing as a bottle, as we know it. Bottles were made of animal skins. When new, these skins had a certain amount of elasticity. As they grew old, they became hard and unyielding.
The new wine to which Jesus referred, was still fermenting – it gave off gases. These gases caused pressure, and if the skin was new it would yield to the pressure. But if the skin was old and hard and dry, the wine will explode and everything would be lost.
In essence, Jesus was pleading for a certain amount of elasticity in our thinking. He was giving to the Pharisees a newness that could not be contained in their old ways of thinking. By using the illustration of the bottle, Jesus was acknowledging that there was a period of usefulness. However, that mindset, although formerly useful, needed to change to accommodate a new way of thinking.
In 2015, Jesus would be saying to us, whereas earlier decades may have been great, 2015 requires a new way of thinking – do not be afraid of new adventures. The challenges will be diverse and will require more intentional efforts to be different.
Like religious scholar Huston Smith, Jesus would most likely say that in 2015, “the human spirit is being suffocated by a dominant materialistic worldview.” The feeling that faith is not necessary in a world of science is an ill-advised worldview for anyone anticipating a meaningful Happy New Year.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Fair & Free From Fear
The 2014 midterm elections have gone – however, not the memories. This was my first time voting since my recent status as a citizen. As a novice to the process, I have very much for which to be thankful.
For days I prayed that the elections would be fair and free from fear. From all appearances, it would seem as though my prayer was answered. In my community it was a quiet day – I discovered many persons had opted for early voting. I was among the 43% of Floridians who voted.
Nationally, voter turnout in the elections was terrible. Imagine, only 36.3% of eligible voters cast votes. The New York Times reported that this election was the worst turnout in 72 years. Only the 1942 election (33.9%) had a lower rate of voter turnout. Voter turnout is usually measured as a proportion of registered voters rather than of those eligible to vote — and census numbers show that more than 70 million Americans of voting age are not registered voters.
With a voter turnout of less than 36%, one questions the moral basis for the claim that the winners got a clear mandate to rule. Interestingly, if the Constitution required a simple majority for election results to be valid, many elections in America would be cancelled for the lack of a quorum.
In addition, the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan Washington group whose job is to track political spending, estimated that candidates, parties, committees, outside groups and donors spent at least $3.67 billion on the 2014 midterm elections, some $40 million more than what was spent in 2010.
Pollsters contend that most persons did not vote because they “just couldn’t be bothered”. Say what? Do you know how many countries would love to have an opportunity to vote in elections that are free from fear? Even many persons within developed countries wish they had an electoral system like the United States. For instance, whereas the US Constitution has established limits and specific times for elections, many countries within the Westminster Model face sudden elections, with the timing often favoring the ruling government.
Apart from having one of the best electoral systems in the world, I am especially grateful for the recent midterm elections for a number of reasons. One was the sheer demeanor displayed by congressional candidate Dan Bongino. He lost to Democrat John Delaney.
In his concession speech, Bongino revealed that his wife had been experiencing health issues, which had forced him to limit campaign appearances. Upon learning of her illness, Bongino’s opponent, responded with a handwritten letter “expressing his heartfelt concerns for my wife and my family, given the circumstances we were dealing with.” Bongino graciously admitted, “I never forgot that, it reminded me that although our wonderful country is currently marked by passionate political differences, these differences should never become personal.”
Yes, that happened in America, and I wished it got more press. I could also say the same about Mia Love from Utah. For years I have followed this 37-year old political leader. On her second attempt she won her seat to represent her district – she is the first black female Republican in Congress.
In response to a journalist who attempted to credit her gender and ethnicity for her success, Mia Love responded, “This is historic but it’s not because of the color of my skin - it’s historic because Utah has decided to elect a person based on their principles.” She represents a district with fewer than 2% of black voters.
Both in the case of Mia Love and Tim Scott, it would seem as though an increasing number of Americans are prepared to vote for character rather than color. Scott is the first black lawmaker elected to both chambers of Congress. He represents South Carolina, a state with just about 28% black citizens.
Another interesting record was broken in Iowa. Joni Ernst’s win makes her the first female combat veteran to get elected to the Senate and the first woman in Congress from that state. Another first among women, was Elise Stefanik, 30, who when elected, became the youngest female member of Congress.
In addition, 37-year-old Arkansas GOP Rep. Tom Cotton winning a Senate seat makes him the youngest member of the upper chamber. Although she will not be in Washington, Saira Blair, just eighteen, won the election for West Virginia’s 59th House District. Still a freshman at West Virginia University, Saira became the youngest state lawmaker in the nation after sweeping 63% of the vote.
I suppose by now you understand why I am so thankful after the midterm elections – ethnic walls are continuing to break down, gender equality is more evident and our youth are continuing to assume positions of leadership. I thank God that He has allowed me to participate in such an electoral system – not perfect, but certainly fair and free from fear.
For days I prayed that the elections would be fair and free from fear. From all appearances, it would seem as though my prayer was answered. In my community it was a quiet day – I discovered many persons had opted for early voting. I was among the 43% of Floridians who voted.
Nationally, voter turnout in the elections was terrible. Imagine, only 36.3% of eligible voters cast votes. The New York Times reported that this election was the worst turnout in 72 years. Only the 1942 election (33.9%) had a lower rate of voter turnout. Voter turnout is usually measured as a proportion of registered voters rather than of those eligible to vote — and census numbers show that more than 70 million Americans of voting age are not registered voters.
With a voter turnout of less than 36%, one questions the moral basis for the claim that the winners got a clear mandate to rule. Interestingly, if the Constitution required a simple majority for election results to be valid, many elections in America would be cancelled for the lack of a quorum.
In addition, the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan Washington group whose job is to track political spending, estimated that candidates, parties, committees, outside groups and donors spent at least $3.67 billion on the 2014 midterm elections, some $40 million more than what was spent in 2010.
Pollsters contend that most persons did not vote because they “just couldn’t be bothered”. Say what? Do you know how many countries would love to have an opportunity to vote in elections that are free from fear? Even many persons within developed countries wish they had an electoral system like the United States. For instance, whereas the US Constitution has established limits and specific times for elections, many countries within the Westminster Model face sudden elections, with the timing often favoring the ruling government.
Apart from having one of the best electoral systems in the world, I am especially grateful for the recent midterm elections for a number of reasons. One was the sheer demeanor displayed by congressional candidate Dan Bongino. He lost to Democrat John Delaney.
In his concession speech, Bongino revealed that his wife had been experiencing health issues, which had forced him to limit campaign appearances. Upon learning of her illness, Bongino’s opponent, responded with a handwritten letter “expressing his heartfelt concerns for my wife and my family, given the circumstances we were dealing with.” Bongino graciously admitted, “I never forgot that, it reminded me that although our wonderful country is currently marked by passionate political differences, these differences should never become personal.”
Yes, that happened in America, and I wished it got more press. I could also say the same about Mia Love from Utah. For years I have followed this 37-year old political leader. On her second attempt she won her seat to represent her district – she is the first black female Republican in Congress.
In response to a journalist who attempted to credit her gender and ethnicity for her success, Mia Love responded, “This is historic but it’s not because of the color of my skin - it’s historic because Utah has decided to elect a person based on their principles.” She represents a district with fewer than 2% of black voters.
Both in the case of Mia Love and Tim Scott, it would seem as though an increasing number of Americans are prepared to vote for character rather than color. Scott is the first black lawmaker elected to both chambers of Congress. He represents South Carolina, a state with just about 28% black citizens.
Another interesting record was broken in Iowa. Joni Ernst’s win makes her the first female combat veteran to get elected to the Senate and the first woman in Congress from that state. Another first among women, was Elise Stefanik, 30, who when elected, became the youngest female member of Congress.
In addition, 37-year-old Arkansas GOP Rep. Tom Cotton winning a Senate seat makes him the youngest member of the upper chamber. Although she will not be in Washington, Saira Blair, just eighteen, won the election for West Virginia’s 59th House District. Still a freshman at West Virginia University, Saira became the youngest state lawmaker in the nation after sweeping 63% of the vote.
I suppose by now you understand why I am so thankful after the midterm elections – ethnic walls are continuing to break down, gender equality is more evident and our youth are continuing to assume positions of leadership. I thank God that He has allowed me to participate in such an electoral system – not perfect, but certainly fair and free from fear.
Monday, September 29, 2014
“We the People...”
That simple statement, “we the people,” was an answer to the 100 questions we had to study for a recent naturalization test. Following our Swearing-In Ceremony a few days ago, my wife and I can now be called “American Yankees”.
For my family it has been a long journey which began in 1991 when we migrated to America. My wife and the three children accompanied me as I pursued graduate and post-graduate studies in the Midwest. From Foreign Students to Citizens should be an interesting read of God’s faithfulness to a family that dared to trust Him.
In those 23 years, my wife also earned an advanced degree and our three children completed college. Last Sunday we were honored to witness the baptism of two of our six grandchildren. They now represent the fourth generation of Corbins coming to faith in Jesus Christ. For this we praise the Lord!
However, becoming citizens is much more than a privilege – it is a responsibility. The civics lessons learned in preparing for naturalization have helped to reinforce the solemn trust enshrined in being a citizen of a country. As American citizens we now recognize that we can be called-up any minute to serve as jurors in a court of law. In addition, we have the right to vote in a federal election.
Our acquired home, America, is “a popular sovereign” state. The people elect representatives to make laws. With the words “we the people,” the Constitution states that the people set up the government. The government works for the people and protects the rights of the people. In America, the power to govern comes from the people, who are the highest power. Sometimes one wonders if some of our current narcissistic federal and local representatives should not be mandated to pursue ongoing education classes in American Civics.
Just last week I was reminded that even the study of Civics in America is under attack. Hundreds of students walked out of classrooms around suburban Denver in protest over a conservative-led school board proposal to focus history education on topics that promote citizenship, patriotism and respect for authority.
The youth protest in the state's second-largest school district followed a sick-out from teachers that shut down two high schools. Many students waved American flags and carried signs, including messages that read "There is nothing more patriotic than protest."
The school board proposal that triggered the walkouts in Jefferson County calls for instructional materials that present positive aspects of America and its heritage. It would establish a committee to make sure materials "promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free-market system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights" and don't "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strike or disregard of the law."
When interviewed, a student demonstrator, a senior at Arvada High School, said that the nation's foundation was built on civil protests, "and everything that we've done is what allowed us to be at this point today. And if you take that from us, you take away everything that America was built off of."
This is not what I learned in civics about America – “the nation’s foundation was built on civil protests?” Agreed, America has had its share of internal and foreign wars. However, can the results of those wars be considered to be foundations upon which the nation was built?
The protests among high school teachers and students in Colorado is a microcosm of what is happening across the nation – an infiltration of ideological bias in interpreting history. At times some Christians are guilty of that bias when they interpret American history to suggest that the Puritans came to America to establish only Christian communities.
A few months ago we were subjected to another ideological interpretation of history. President Obama was addressing a group of Muslims at an Eid-al-Fitr celebration. There he thanked the Muslims “for their many achievements and contributions...to building the very fabric of our nation and strengthening the core of our democracy.”
As a fledgling citizen, could someone please help me? Where in America’s history can one find the “many achievements...to building the fabric of our nation” from the Muslim community? As a melting pot of religious communities, America has become the most religiously diverse country in the world. However, as religious communities come to this country, they often adjust their religious practices to comply with American life and culture. Generally speaking, that cannot be said of many Muslim communities.
As a Christian and a new citizen, my civic mandate is greatly influenced by Jeremiah’s words to the Jewish exiles in Babylon: “... seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29: 7).
For my family it has been a long journey which began in 1991 when we migrated to America. My wife and the three children accompanied me as I pursued graduate and post-graduate studies in the Midwest. From Foreign Students to Citizens should be an interesting read of God’s faithfulness to a family that dared to trust Him.
In those 23 years, my wife also earned an advanced degree and our three children completed college. Last Sunday we were honored to witness the baptism of two of our six grandchildren. They now represent the fourth generation of Corbins coming to faith in Jesus Christ. For this we praise the Lord!
However, becoming citizens is much more than a privilege – it is a responsibility. The civics lessons learned in preparing for naturalization have helped to reinforce the solemn trust enshrined in being a citizen of a country. As American citizens we now recognize that we can be called-up any minute to serve as jurors in a court of law. In addition, we have the right to vote in a federal election.
Our acquired home, America, is “a popular sovereign” state. The people elect representatives to make laws. With the words “we the people,” the Constitution states that the people set up the government. The government works for the people and protects the rights of the people. In America, the power to govern comes from the people, who are the highest power. Sometimes one wonders if some of our current narcissistic federal and local representatives should not be mandated to pursue ongoing education classes in American Civics.
Just last week I was reminded that even the study of Civics in America is under attack. Hundreds of students walked out of classrooms around suburban Denver in protest over a conservative-led school board proposal to focus history education on topics that promote citizenship, patriotism and respect for authority.
The youth protest in the state's second-largest school district followed a sick-out from teachers that shut down two high schools. Many students waved American flags and carried signs, including messages that read "There is nothing more patriotic than protest."
The school board proposal that triggered the walkouts in Jefferson County calls for instructional materials that present positive aspects of America and its heritage. It would establish a committee to make sure materials "promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free-market system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights" and don't "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strike or disregard of the law."
When interviewed, a student demonstrator, a senior at Arvada High School, said that the nation's foundation was built on civil protests, "and everything that we've done is what allowed us to be at this point today. And if you take that from us, you take away everything that America was built off of."
This is not what I learned in civics about America – “the nation’s foundation was built on civil protests?” Agreed, America has had its share of internal and foreign wars. However, can the results of those wars be considered to be foundations upon which the nation was built?
The protests among high school teachers and students in Colorado is a microcosm of what is happening across the nation – an infiltration of ideological bias in interpreting history. At times some Christians are guilty of that bias when they interpret American history to suggest that the Puritans came to America to establish only Christian communities.
A few months ago we were subjected to another ideological interpretation of history. President Obama was addressing a group of Muslims at an Eid-al-Fitr celebration. There he thanked the Muslims “for their many achievements and contributions...to building the very fabric of our nation and strengthening the core of our democracy.”
As a fledgling citizen, could someone please help me? Where in America’s history can one find the “many achievements...to building the fabric of our nation” from the Muslim community? As a melting pot of religious communities, America has become the most religiously diverse country in the world. However, as religious communities come to this country, they often adjust their religious practices to comply with American life and culture. Generally speaking, that cannot be said of many Muslim communities.
As a Christian and a new citizen, my civic mandate is greatly influenced by Jeremiah’s words to the Jewish exiles in Babylon: “... seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29: 7).
Monday, July 28, 2014
Menace or Mentors
According to Earthjustice, “each year, nearly a billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed in fields and orchards across America.” Much of this is sprayed during Termite Season – April to August. Ants are particularly susceptible to this menace demolition campaign. Simply put, ants are pests, kill them.
I fully understand the rationale, especially during these summer months. Even as I prepare this blog my family has ant killing pesticides appropriately placed in our South Florida home. However, there is something else about ants we often overlook.
Ants live everywhere. They are loosening and oxygenating soil, adding nutrients to the soil, controlling bug populations, transplanting seeds, pollinating plants and flowers, aiding in decomposition, moving and consuming organic and inorganic material on such a large scale that their impact may never be fully appreciated.
I am no myrmecologist (a scientist who studies ants); however, I have learned a few things about ants that can have a profound impact on human behavior. For instance, the work ethic of ants can put even the most ambitious person to shame.
All day long the ant labors in the hot desert, or a wet rain forest, or the cold tundra sniffing out his food and carrying back his load to the nest, no matter how far the journey or how difficult the terrain. Actually, the load an ant carries around all day can be up to 50 times his own body weight.
Ants are probably the most highly developed social insects. Scientists tell us “each colony of ants contains at least one queen. The workers, who are all sterile females, care for the queen, enlarge, repair and defend the nest, care for the young and gather food. Some workers perform only one job throughout their lives while others may change their tasks. The soldier ants are specialized workers whose function is to guard the nest.” In essence, ants possess amazing organizational skills.
The writer of the Book of Proverbs, invites his readers to learn from ants. At least five profound truths are unpacked from the biblical text. In the first place, the writer contends that ants are not lazy. The writer challenges “the sluggard” to go the ant and learn (Proverbs 6:6). Ants are energetic and full of life. They are aware of the fact that their life span is short and live with energy. Like the Psalmist, we too learn “to number our days aright, that we may gain hearts of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). If we can only live our lives, keeping in mind that life is like a vapor – very brief. Live life with enthusiasm, just like ants.
Proverbs also teaches that ants are self-motivated. They operate with “no commander, no overseer or no ruler.” Myrmecologists confirm this biblical truth – “ants form groups with no single leader, and no hierarchical organizational model.” Ants are driven by a desire to survive and the reality of their own limitations. The words of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy would seem to capture this emphasis, when he said, “Ask not what my country can do for me but what I can do for my country.”
In the third place, we must credit ants with being frugal. According to Proverbs, “they store their provision in summer and gather their food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:8). They know when to reap. They know when to put in storage. Ants know what to spend and what to save. In essence, they know how to balance time and resources. In other words, ants know the seasons of life and plan accordingly.
Not only do ants know opportunities, they also know their limitations. “Ants are creatures of little strength” says the writer of Proverbs (30:25). There are some ants that are one twenty-fifth of an inch. They are limited in size and strength. Their survival depends on community. As mentioned earlier, they are probably the most highly developed social insects. Together, they can strip an orange grove of leaves in one night. However, they cannot survive without community.
Another important credit to ants is the fact that they are wise. Proverbs actually says that “they are extremely wise” (Proverbs 30:24). They know how to apply knowledge – knowledge of seasons, their own physiology, their vulnerabilities and the value of community.
Although limited, they know how to use the resources available to them. Army ants may prey on reptiles, birds, or even small mammals. One Amazon species of ants cooperatively builds extensive traps from plant fiber. These traps have many holes and, when an insect steps on one, hundreds of ants inside use the openings to seize it with their jaws.
Honestly, ants are more than a menace – they are mentors, as they teach us to be frugal, wise, resilient and industrious.
I fully understand the rationale, especially during these summer months. Even as I prepare this blog my family has ant killing pesticides appropriately placed in our South Florida home. However, there is something else about ants we often overlook.
Ants live everywhere. They are loosening and oxygenating soil, adding nutrients to the soil, controlling bug populations, transplanting seeds, pollinating plants and flowers, aiding in decomposition, moving and consuming organic and inorganic material on such a large scale that their impact may never be fully appreciated.
I am no myrmecologist (a scientist who studies ants); however, I have learned a few things about ants that can have a profound impact on human behavior. For instance, the work ethic of ants can put even the most ambitious person to shame.
All day long the ant labors in the hot desert, or a wet rain forest, or the cold tundra sniffing out his food and carrying back his load to the nest, no matter how far the journey or how difficult the terrain. Actually, the load an ant carries around all day can be up to 50 times his own body weight.
Ants are probably the most highly developed social insects. Scientists tell us “each colony of ants contains at least one queen. The workers, who are all sterile females, care for the queen, enlarge, repair and defend the nest, care for the young and gather food. Some workers perform only one job throughout their lives while others may change their tasks. The soldier ants are specialized workers whose function is to guard the nest.” In essence, ants possess amazing organizational skills.
The writer of the Book of Proverbs, invites his readers to learn from ants. At least five profound truths are unpacked from the biblical text. In the first place, the writer contends that ants are not lazy. The writer challenges “the sluggard” to go the ant and learn (Proverbs 6:6). Ants are energetic and full of life. They are aware of the fact that their life span is short and live with energy. Like the Psalmist, we too learn “to number our days aright, that we may gain hearts of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). If we can only live our lives, keeping in mind that life is like a vapor – very brief. Live life with enthusiasm, just like ants.
Proverbs also teaches that ants are self-motivated. They operate with “no commander, no overseer or no ruler.” Myrmecologists confirm this biblical truth – “ants form groups with no single leader, and no hierarchical organizational model.” Ants are driven by a desire to survive and the reality of their own limitations. The words of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy would seem to capture this emphasis, when he said, “Ask not what my country can do for me but what I can do for my country.”
In the third place, we must credit ants with being frugal. According to Proverbs, “they store their provision in summer and gather their food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:8). They know when to reap. They know when to put in storage. Ants know what to spend and what to save. In essence, they know how to balance time and resources. In other words, ants know the seasons of life and plan accordingly.
Not only do ants know opportunities, they also know their limitations. “Ants are creatures of little strength” says the writer of Proverbs (30:25). There are some ants that are one twenty-fifth of an inch. They are limited in size and strength. Their survival depends on community. As mentioned earlier, they are probably the most highly developed social insects. Together, they can strip an orange grove of leaves in one night. However, they cannot survive without community.
Another important credit to ants is the fact that they are wise. Proverbs actually says that “they are extremely wise” (Proverbs 30:24). They know how to apply knowledge – knowledge of seasons, their own physiology, their vulnerabilities and the value of community.
Although limited, they know how to use the resources available to them. Army ants may prey on reptiles, birds, or even small mammals. One Amazon species of ants cooperatively builds extensive traps from plant fiber. These traps have many holes and, when an insect steps on one, hundreds of ants inside use the openings to seize it with their jaws.
Honestly, ants are more than a menace – they are mentors, as they teach us to be frugal, wise, resilient and industrious.
Monday, July 21, 2014
AMERICA!
This summer marks 23 years since we landed at Miami International Airport. My family and I were heading for Chicago where I would pursue graduate studies at Trinity International University. I can still recall the drive to the Windy City. The long drive ensured that the five of us remained a close-knit group – that bonding was necessary for the cold winter years in the mid-west.
Our immigration status did not allow my wife to work and I was allowed to work only on campus for what I learned later was minimum wage. The money with which we travelled from Jamaica was finished in three months. I began my graduate program with no scholarships. With our first child in high school and the others at the junior high and elementary school levels, one could just imagine the magnitude of the fiscal challenges we faced.
My wife and I knew the immigration rules, and we were not prepared to break them. We felt that our time in America was consistent with a divine call. We also felt that if God had opened a door for us, He would provide for us. Apart from the risk of being caught and the likely deportation that would follow, we knew if we played dishonestly, we would be robbing ourselves of the moral authority we needed to guide our children. In addition, we would be undermining the standards of integrity by which we sought to guide our lives.
God honored our stand and our status changed in a miraculous way – that’s another story. Our new immigration status enabled us to work. Although some of the jobs were very menial, the money earned affirmed our dignity and strong work ethic.
Not every family can share such stories about coming to America. It is believed that about 60% of white immigrants to the American colonies between the 1630s and1780s were brought here as indentured workers. However, while half the European migrants to the 13 colonies were indentured servants, at any one time they were outnumbered by workers who had never been indentured, or whose indenture had expired.
Slaves were among this “never indentured” category. The first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco.
Unlike our situation, many families were destroyed because of immigration practices in the United States. Sometimes the immigrating families must be blamed. The truth is, when we pursue financial gain at any cost, usually, our families are affected.
By now everyone is aware of the tens of thousands of unaccompanied children crossing our Southern border that have created a national crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis for these children who have been sent by their families to travel thousands of miles on their own. Many are physically and sexually abused along the way, others never reach their destination. All too often, Border Patrol agents discover small, lifeless bodies washed up on the US side of the river that marks the border between Texas and Mexico.
All forms of migration affect family life – either for better or worse. As a nation, Israel never recovered when Assyria removed most of the men from the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE. Today we still talk about the ten lost tribes and the bastardization of the Samaritans.
We as a nation, need to have a serious conversation about the impact of migration on family life. Some of our laws need adjusting to reflect an appreciation for stable family life. No nation can succeed without stability in the family.
As my wife and I prepare for U.S. citizenship, we have become so much more aware of the American experiment. Part of my personal preparation included reading Dr. Ben Carson’s book, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future. In addition, we viewed Dinesh D’Souza’s film, “America: Imagine a World Without Her.” We strongly recommend both resources.
Those resources reminded me of what the American experiment was all about as well as cautioned me about the threat of revisionist history to distort the value of that experiment. As someone who lectures in religion, it is frustrating to come across revisionist literature that attempts to undermine the role of religion in American history.
As a beneficiary of the American experiment I am eager to obtain citizenship. I want the privilege to vote – to influence the branches of government. I want to be sure that when I hear the words “we the people," those words include me.
When faced with the reality of living away from their homeland, God said to the Jews – “build houses and settle down...seek the peace and prosperity of the city ...pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
Our immigration status did not allow my wife to work and I was allowed to work only on campus for what I learned later was minimum wage. The money with which we travelled from Jamaica was finished in three months. I began my graduate program with no scholarships. With our first child in high school and the others at the junior high and elementary school levels, one could just imagine the magnitude of the fiscal challenges we faced.
My wife and I knew the immigration rules, and we were not prepared to break them. We felt that our time in America was consistent with a divine call. We also felt that if God had opened a door for us, He would provide for us. Apart from the risk of being caught and the likely deportation that would follow, we knew if we played dishonestly, we would be robbing ourselves of the moral authority we needed to guide our children. In addition, we would be undermining the standards of integrity by which we sought to guide our lives.
God honored our stand and our status changed in a miraculous way – that’s another story. Our new immigration status enabled us to work. Although some of the jobs were very menial, the money earned affirmed our dignity and strong work ethic.
Not every family can share such stories about coming to America. It is believed that about 60% of white immigrants to the American colonies between the 1630s and1780s were brought here as indentured workers. However, while half the European migrants to the 13 colonies were indentured servants, at any one time they were outnumbered by workers who had never been indentured, or whose indenture had expired.
Slaves were among this “never indentured” category. The first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco.
Unlike our situation, many families were destroyed because of immigration practices in the United States. Sometimes the immigrating families must be blamed. The truth is, when we pursue financial gain at any cost, usually, our families are affected.
By now everyone is aware of the tens of thousands of unaccompanied children crossing our Southern border that have created a national crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis for these children who have been sent by their families to travel thousands of miles on their own. Many are physically and sexually abused along the way, others never reach their destination. All too often, Border Patrol agents discover small, lifeless bodies washed up on the US side of the river that marks the border between Texas and Mexico.
All forms of migration affect family life – either for better or worse. As a nation, Israel never recovered when Assyria removed most of the men from the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE. Today we still talk about the ten lost tribes and the bastardization of the Samaritans.
We as a nation, need to have a serious conversation about the impact of migration on family life. Some of our laws need adjusting to reflect an appreciation for stable family life. No nation can succeed without stability in the family.
As my wife and I prepare for U.S. citizenship, we have become so much more aware of the American experiment. Part of my personal preparation included reading Dr. Ben Carson’s book, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future. In addition, we viewed Dinesh D’Souza’s film, “America: Imagine a World Without Her.” We strongly recommend both resources.
Those resources reminded me of what the American experiment was all about as well as cautioned me about the threat of revisionist history to distort the value of that experiment. As someone who lectures in religion, it is frustrating to come across revisionist literature that attempts to undermine the role of religion in American history.
As a beneficiary of the American experiment I am eager to obtain citizenship. I want the privilege to vote – to influence the branches of government. I want to be sure that when I hear the words “we the people," those words include me.
When faced with the reality of living away from their homeland, God said to the Jews – “build houses and settle down...seek the peace and prosperity of the city ...pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
Monday, August 5, 2013
Who Needs Daddy?
Shortly after giving birth, my daughter felt a hospital social worker was suggesting to her that it was better not to have the child’s father around. “If you do not have a husband with you, we will pay for the baby’s diapers and formula.” My daughter declined the offer. The social worker offered again, at which point our son-in-law walked into the room. “Do you want him in here?” was the daring question that came from the social worker.
I wish I could say that that interaction at a suburban hospital was exceptional – it was not. The interaction represented an attitude to the role of fathers in the lives of their children. He is merely viewed as a bank, both for sperms and financial support. If he is absent, the government will provide the funding. There are situations where it would seem more economically profitable for mothers, if fathers would simply be absent.
However, the economic cost of absent fathers is staggering. In his book, Life Without Father, sociologist David Popenoe contends that “the decline of fatherhood is a major force behind many of the most disturbing problems that plague us.” He further contends that "child-rearing encourages men to develop those habits of character - including prudence, cooperativeness, honesty, trust and self-sacrifice - that can lead to achievement as an economic provider." Poor women and their children are more likely to escape poverty in a stable relationship with a man who is an active father of the children.
Edward Kruk, writing about father absence, father deficit and father hunger in “Psychology Today” produced a list of woes: children without fathers actively in their lives have diminished self-concept, and compromised physical and emotional security. These children consistently report feeling abandoned when their fathers are not involved in their lives, struggling with their emotions and bouts of self-loathing.
Kruk also underlines the behavioral problems - fatherless children have more difficulties with social adjustment, and are more likely to report problems with friendships. Many develop a swaggering, intimidating persona in an attempt to disguise their underlying fears, resentments, anxieties and unhappiness. Gangs and violence and the adoration of the gun as power spring out of this condition.
Fatherless children show greater truancy from school and poorer academic performance. Kruk points out that some 71% of high-school dropouts are fatherless. Fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills.
Fatherlessness is a driver for delinquency and youth crime, including violent crime, Kruk notes, with 85% of youth in prison having an absent father.
The above statistics explain why I become so incensed with social workers like the one my daughter met in the hospital. She, like many in our society, would be willing to affirm the worth of mothers. But fathers? that is another matter. With such persons, fatherhood is viewed merely as a social role. And if merely a social role, then perhaps anyone is capable of playing that role. Players could include mothers, partners, stepfathers, uncles, aunts or grandparents. In essence, biological fathers are dispensable.
Miami Heat basketball superstar Dwayne Wade would disagree with that view. In a recent article, the single father said, “being a father is the most important and rewarding thing I will ever do, and I strongly encourage all fathers to love and take responsibility for their children.”
Last year, Wade wrote a book about his experience and the importance of all fathers being present in their children's lives. Addressing the fatherlessness issue across the country, he also teamed up with President Obama to support his Fatherhood & Mentoring Initiative.
One of the better books I’ve come across on the subject of fatherhood is Kyle Pruett’s, Fatherneed: Why Father Care Is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. According to Publishers Weekly, Pruett’s book is “thoughtful, inspiring, and eminently practical, [it] belongs at the top of the ‘must have’ list for every father.”
Interestingly, after relegating the Bible to the archives of ancient literature, many are now finding themselves going back to its teachings. Even a casual reading of the book of Proverbs will highlight the importance of fatherhood. In the New Testament book of Ephesians, fathers are encouraged to nurture and encourage their children in Christian values. Fathers are charged not to abuse their influence and exasperate their children (Ephesians 6:4).
Personally, I wish I had known this stuff when I became a father 36 years ago. I believe I would have been a much better father to our three children.
I wish I could say that that interaction at a suburban hospital was exceptional – it was not. The interaction represented an attitude to the role of fathers in the lives of their children. He is merely viewed as a bank, both for sperms and financial support. If he is absent, the government will provide the funding. There are situations where it would seem more economically profitable for mothers, if fathers would simply be absent.
However, the economic cost of absent fathers is staggering. In his book, Life Without Father, sociologist David Popenoe contends that “the decline of fatherhood is a major force behind many of the most disturbing problems that plague us.” He further contends that "child-rearing encourages men to develop those habits of character - including prudence, cooperativeness, honesty, trust and self-sacrifice - that can lead to achievement as an economic provider." Poor women and their children are more likely to escape poverty in a stable relationship with a man who is an active father of the children.
Edward Kruk, writing about father absence, father deficit and father hunger in “Psychology Today” produced a list of woes: children without fathers actively in their lives have diminished self-concept, and compromised physical and emotional security. These children consistently report feeling abandoned when their fathers are not involved in their lives, struggling with their emotions and bouts of self-loathing.
Kruk also underlines the behavioral problems - fatherless children have more difficulties with social adjustment, and are more likely to report problems with friendships. Many develop a swaggering, intimidating persona in an attempt to disguise their underlying fears, resentments, anxieties and unhappiness. Gangs and violence and the adoration of the gun as power spring out of this condition.
Fatherless children show greater truancy from school and poorer academic performance. Kruk points out that some 71% of high-school dropouts are fatherless. Fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills.
Fatherlessness is a driver for delinquency and youth crime, including violent crime, Kruk notes, with 85% of youth in prison having an absent father.
The above statistics explain why I become so incensed with social workers like the one my daughter met in the hospital. She, like many in our society, would be willing to affirm the worth of mothers. But fathers? that is another matter. With such persons, fatherhood is viewed merely as a social role. And if merely a social role, then perhaps anyone is capable of playing that role. Players could include mothers, partners, stepfathers, uncles, aunts or grandparents. In essence, biological fathers are dispensable.
Miami Heat basketball superstar Dwayne Wade would disagree with that view. In a recent article, the single father said, “being a father is the most important and rewarding thing I will ever do, and I strongly encourage all fathers to love and take responsibility for their children.”
Last year, Wade wrote a book about his experience and the importance of all fathers being present in their children's lives. Addressing the fatherlessness issue across the country, he also teamed up with President Obama to support his Fatherhood & Mentoring Initiative.
One of the better books I’ve come across on the subject of fatherhood is Kyle Pruett’s, Fatherneed: Why Father Care Is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. According to Publishers Weekly, Pruett’s book is “thoughtful, inspiring, and eminently practical, [it] belongs at the top of the ‘must have’ list for every father.”
Interestingly, after relegating the Bible to the archives of ancient literature, many are now finding themselves going back to its teachings. Even a casual reading of the book of Proverbs will highlight the importance of fatherhood. In the New Testament book of Ephesians, fathers are encouraged to nurture and encourage their children in Christian values. Fathers are charged not to abuse their influence and exasperate their children (Ephesians 6:4).
Personally, I wish I had known this stuff when I became a father 36 years ago. I believe I would have been a much better father to our three children.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Not Black Enough?
Shortly after arriving in the United States with my family, I had the opportunity to attend a national conference for black evangelicals in Detroit. I was eager to learn about what distinguished black from white evangelicals. The conference was well represented with black leaders from various communities across the United States.
During the evaluation session at the end of the three day event, participants were invited to be candid in their appraisals. I publicly expressed my delight to be in attendance and took the opportunity to suggest that if sessions were more punctual and presenters had used more contemporary tools for communicating their presentations, the conference could have been much more effective.
In response to my observations, one of the organizers thanked me for participating. He went on to inform me that the organizers did not define effectiveness in the same way as their white brethren did. I guess he was saying that punctuality and utilization of effective tools to communicate were not appropriate indicators for assessing success among blacks.
When that experience was put side by side with opinions shared by white evangelicals, I sensed that my Afro-Caribbean family was sandwiched between two cultures. For instance, it was not unusual to hear white evangelicals say to us, “we do not see you guys as being black.” Initially this was very confusing to us, but slowly we began to realize that in America, black is more than a color – it is also a culture.
It is a culture in that there are some experiences some blacks accept as being distinctly black. For instance, some would refer to the use of proper diction by blacks as pretending to be white. Such blacks would consider the occasional use of Ebonics to be culturally sensitive. However, that sensitivity may provide cultural acceptance, but it is totally inappropriate in the marketplace of ideas.
The Cosby Show provided a good illustration of this point. The show was well received by both white and black audiences. Earlier commentators felt that one of the show’s assets was its help in improving race relations by projecting universal values with which both whites and blacks could identify.
However, a few more recent commentators suggest that the Cosby Show’s popularity has set back race relations. These more recent commentators believe the Show failed to take into account the context outside of the walls of the home in which the main characters lived. The fact that the Show failed to confront race relations in America is often viewed as a sell-out to white audiences and advertisers. However, I concur with the view that the positive role of the black Huxtable family served to reduce the negative stereotypes of blacks in the wider society. Interestingly, since the final episode more than 20 years ago, reruns of the Cosby Show still bring healthy laughter across races and generations.
CNN host Don Lemon felt O’Reilly did not go far enough in analyzing the situation among blacks in America. As a black public figure, Lemon went on to list five critical areas that must be addressed in black communities today. Like O’Reilly he felt the most critical was the more than 72% of black children being born out of wedlock, often resulting in fatherless children.
One would think that Lemon’s opinions would earn the applause of the black community. Rather, it has inspired just as much hatred from the black community as O’Reilly’s comments did. MSNBC’s Goldie Taylor calls Lemon a “turncoat mofo,” while Toure also took to twitter to revile the common sense points Lemon made. Many others in the black community took to social media to excoriate Lemon’s remarks.
We need to take time to applaud Don Lemon, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby, Ben Carson and every leader who risks ridicule and calls garbage trash and not treasure. As a Christian black man, I refuse to be defined by art forms that dehumanize others. My creative expressions are honed only by my Christian worldview. A proper understanding of that worldview enriches others, embraces healthy cultural expression and celebrates ethnic differences.
During the evaluation session at the end of the three day event, participants were invited to be candid in their appraisals. I publicly expressed my delight to be in attendance and took the opportunity to suggest that if sessions were more punctual and presenters had used more contemporary tools for communicating their presentations, the conference could have been much more effective.
In response to my observations, one of the organizers thanked me for participating. He went on to inform me that the organizers did not define effectiveness in the same way as their white brethren did. I guess he was saying that punctuality and utilization of effective tools to communicate were not appropriate indicators for assessing success among blacks.
When that experience was put side by side with opinions shared by white evangelicals, I sensed that my Afro-Caribbean family was sandwiched between two cultures. For instance, it was not unusual to hear white evangelicals say to us, “we do not see you guys as being black.” Initially this was very confusing to us, but slowly we began to realize that in America, black is more than a color – it is also a culture.
It is a culture in that there are some experiences some blacks accept as being distinctly black. For instance, some would refer to the use of proper diction by blacks as pretending to be white. Such blacks would consider the occasional use of Ebonics to be culturally sensitive. However, that sensitivity may provide cultural acceptance, but it is totally inappropriate in the marketplace of ideas.
The Cosby Show provided a good illustration of this point. The show was well received by both white and black audiences. Earlier commentators felt that one of the show’s assets was its help in improving race relations by projecting universal values with which both whites and blacks could identify.
However, a few more recent commentators suggest that the Cosby Show’s popularity has set back race relations. These more recent commentators believe the Show failed to take into account the context outside of the walls of the home in which the main characters lived. The fact that the Show failed to confront race relations in America is often viewed as a sell-out to white audiences and advertisers. However, I concur with the view that the positive role of the black Huxtable family served to reduce the negative stereotypes of blacks in the wider society. Interestingly, since the final episode more than 20 years ago, reruns of the Cosby Show still bring healthy laughter across races and generations.
The same healthy laughter cannot be used to describe much of what is called black entertainment today. Bill O’Reilly has been ridiculed by many black leaders because he dared challenge the negative impact of some black entertainment.
According to O’Reilly, the black entertainment industry needs to stop peddling garbage. “Hey listen up you greed heads, if a kid can't speak proper English, uses the "f" word in every sentence, it's disgraceful, it's disrespectful -- it's disrespectful in his or her manner. That child will never, never be able to compete in the marketplace of America... never. And it has nothing to do with slavery. It has everything to do with you Hollywood people and you derelict parents. You're the ones hurting these vulnerable children.”
According to O’Reilly, the black entertainment industry needs to stop peddling garbage. “Hey listen up you greed heads, if a kid can't speak proper English, uses the "f" word in every sentence, it's disgraceful, it's disrespectful -- it's disrespectful in his or her manner. That child will never, never be able to compete in the marketplace of America... never. And it has nothing to do with slavery. It has everything to do with you Hollywood people and you derelict parents. You're the ones hurting these vulnerable children.”
CNN host Don Lemon felt O’Reilly did not go far enough in analyzing the situation among blacks in America. As a black public figure, Lemon went on to list five critical areas that must be addressed in black communities today. Like O’Reilly he felt the most critical was the more than 72% of black children being born out of wedlock, often resulting in fatherless children.
One would think that Lemon’s opinions would earn the applause of the black community. Rather, it has inspired just as much hatred from the black community as O’Reilly’s comments did. MSNBC’s Goldie Taylor calls Lemon a “turncoat mofo,” while Toure also took to twitter to revile the common sense points Lemon made. Many others in the black community took to social media to excoriate Lemon’s remarks.
We need to take time to applaud Don Lemon, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby, Ben Carson and every leader who risks ridicule and calls garbage trash and not treasure. As a Christian black man, I refuse to be defined by art forms that dehumanize others. My creative expressions are honed only by my Christian worldview. A proper understanding of that worldview enriches others, embraces healthy cultural expression and celebrates ethnic differences.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Let's Talk Race
What was intended to be a simple hospital visit, turned out to be anything but simple. I was visiting a member of my congregation who was seriously ill. I was not very familiar with the surrounding area in Minneapolis, so two friends accompanied me. The patient, her husband, my friends and I were engaging in small talk at the bedside when a male nurse entered and addressed me specifically.
“Who are you?” he asked. To which I answered by giving my name. He proceeded to ask, “And what are you doing here?” Before I had a chance to respond, the husband of the patient answered that I was their pastor. With that, the nurse left the room.
We looked at each other baffled at what had just happened. We were baffled because, of the four persons in the room, I was the only one who was black. Because of the severity of the illness and the tension the white nurse created, no one dared discuss what had just happened.
It was on our way to the car, my two friends steered the conversation to what had just taken place. They were confident that they had just witnessed a display of racial prejudice. They were so disgusted and embarrassed that they offered to support me in whatever way I chose to respond to the matter.
More than 15 years have gone since that incident, and although it never altered my sense of worth as someone of value, the memories of bigotry have not left me. Unless one has experienced racial prejudice, one is not fully disposed to understanding it.
Prejudice is a bias, favoring or opposing something based on personal opinion or feelings. It means to "pre-judge" or to make an assumption beforehand without any knowledge, factual reason, or objective consideration. It is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s race, gender or disposition.
Racial prejudice is the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others. It is those feelings of superiority that cause some ethnic groups to feel entitled to discriminate against other groups that are different.
Historically, these feelings of superiority have been influential in establishing institutions that protect and advance varying forms of prejudice. Thankfully, with increasing ethnic diversity and academic opportunities, many of these color structures are dying.
Isn’t it ironic that we appreciate variety in the colors of the rainbow, in nature, in floral arrangements and interior designs? However, when it comes to fellow human beings, we discriminate. Have you ever heard of a hospital advertising for blood from black, white or Hispanic donors?
It is equally ridiculous to believe, that although the best dressed among my colleagues at the hospital, my skin color disqualified me from visiting a patient. In a carefully worded letter I expressed my disgust to the hospital administration. The hospital called to verify the authenticity of the letter and promised to investigate the matter. The process of enquiry was as pathetic as the conclusion reached.
Among the options available to me, I knew my reaction had to be guided by my Christian worldview and not my ethnicity. In addition, I was not prepared to affirm someone else’s warped understanding of superiority with any uncivilized reaction. Like the apostle Paul, when imprisoned for no cause, he used his incarceration as a platform to advance the cause of Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was no different. When beaten and imprisoned for righteousness, he refused to resort to violence. He even dissociated from others who felt violence was justified. Dr. King was determined to be guided by his Christian convictions and not by what his alleged superiors expected. Hence, when he is remembered today he is referred to as a godly leader and not a militant filled with hate.
Racial and social prejudices are not contemporary phenomena. In his New Testament epistle, James confronted prejudice. Simply put, he said, “...don’t show favoritism” (James 2:1). James went on to remind his readers that “God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith...”
In Galatians the apostle Paul challenged Peter for being prejudicial in his treatment of Gentile Christians. Paul contended, “...as for those who seemed to be important-whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance...” (Galatians 2:6).
The same should be said of Christians today – we should not judge by external appearance. To me it is sad when one’s claim to superiority is only skin deep.
“Who are you?” he asked. To which I answered by giving my name. He proceeded to ask, “And what are you doing here?” Before I had a chance to respond, the husband of the patient answered that I was their pastor. With that, the nurse left the room.
We looked at each other baffled at what had just happened. We were baffled because, of the four persons in the room, I was the only one who was black. Because of the severity of the illness and the tension the white nurse created, no one dared discuss what had just happened.
It was on our way to the car, my two friends steered the conversation to what had just taken place. They were confident that they had just witnessed a display of racial prejudice. They were so disgusted and embarrassed that they offered to support me in whatever way I chose to respond to the matter.
More than 15 years have gone since that incident, and although it never altered my sense of worth as someone of value, the memories of bigotry have not left me. Unless one has experienced racial prejudice, one is not fully disposed to understanding it.
Prejudice is a bias, favoring or opposing something based on personal opinion or feelings. It means to "pre-judge" or to make an assumption beforehand without any knowledge, factual reason, or objective consideration. It is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s race, gender or disposition.
Racial prejudice is the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others. It is those feelings of superiority that cause some ethnic groups to feel entitled to discriminate against other groups that are different.
Historically, these feelings of superiority have been influential in establishing institutions that protect and advance varying forms of prejudice. Thankfully, with increasing ethnic diversity and academic opportunities, many of these color structures are dying.
Isn’t it ironic that we appreciate variety in the colors of the rainbow, in nature, in floral arrangements and interior designs? However, when it comes to fellow human beings, we discriminate. Have you ever heard of a hospital advertising for blood from black, white or Hispanic donors?
It is equally ridiculous to believe, that although the best dressed among my colleagues at the hospital, my skin color disqualified me from visiting a patient. In a carefully worded letter I expressed my disgust to the hospital administration. The hospital called to verify the authenticity of the letter and promised to investigate the matter. The process of enquiry was as pathetic as the conclusion reached.
Among the options available to me, I knew my reaction had to be guided by my Christian worldview and not my ethnicity. In addition, I was not prepared to affirm someone else’s warped understanding of superiority with any uncivilized reaction. Like the apostle Paul, when imprisoned for no cause, he used his incarceration as a platform to advance the cause of Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was no different. When beaten and imprisoned for righteousness, he refused to resort to violence. He even dissociated from others who felt violence was justified. Dr. King was determined to be guided by his Christian convictions and not by what his alleged superiors expected. Hence, when he is remembered today he is referred to as a godly leader and not a militant filled with hate.
Racial and social prejudices are not contemporary phenomena. In his New Testament epistle, James confronted prejudice. Simply put, he said, “...don’t show favoritism” (James 2:1). James went on to remind his readers that “God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith...”
In Galatians the apostle Paul challenged Peter for being prejudicial in his treatment of Gentile Christians. Paul contended, “...as for those who seemed to be important-whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance...” (Galatians 2:6).
The same should be said of Christians today – we should not judge by external appearance. To me it is sad when one’s claim to superiority is only skin deep.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Lessons for Dad from the Kids
When invited to have breakfast with me some ten years ago, my son replied, “Me and you alone? What is there to talk about?” However, some years later, after having breakfast with him alone, he phoned his mother to report that he had just experienced the best two hours of his life.
A few weeks ago, another invitation was extended to my son – he was asked to be my associate in a team-teaching experiment for the Father’s Day service at church – to this invitation he eagerly answered in the affirmative. What made the difference ten years later? Many things, and this Father’s Day weekend affords me the opportunity to reflect on some of them. In other words, here are some lessons to a father from a son.
Much of the literature available on fathers, deal with the impact of fathers on children. One of the few resources that challenge us to hear from the children was written by Yale University researcher, Dr. Kyle Pruett. In his book Fatherneed, Pruett addresses the reciprocal benefits of father-child relationships.
Pruett contends that “research from the child’s side of the aisle shows that kids yearn deeply for dads. Infants in the first months of life can tell the differences between a mother’s and a father’s style of care. Furthermore, children thrive when they experience those different styles throughout all the developmental stages of life. Children and fathers hunger for each other early, often, and for a very long time.”
Much of this I took for granted until I read this recent birthday card from my son: “You are the only example of a godly man I’ve ever been able to follow my whole life. You’ve consistently been a source of encouragement, support, honesty and more to me and that’s something I can’t replace.”
“I still remember,” he wrote, “how you’d sneak-in to my games to support me, and though I wasn’t mature enough at the time to appreciate it, your coming meant the world to me.”
Interestingly, my son’s reflections were not based on the sermons and speeches he heard, but rather the visible acts he saw. Although frightening, it is true, our audiences remember more of who we are than what we say.
I pray that my son will continue to be aware of this as he fathers his two-year old son. Although there are areas of similarity, fathers make a different impact on children than mothers do. Studies confirm that as early as eight weeks of age, kids can anticipate the complex differences in their mother’s and father’s caretaking and handling styles.
In addressing the subject of adaptive and problem-solving abilities of children, Dr. Pruett argued that “infants who have been well fathered during the first eighteen to twenty-four months of life, are more secure than those who were not in exploring the world around them, and they do so with vigor and interest.”
That interest to explore I already see with my two-year old grandson. I believe much of it comes from the hours my son invests playing and working with him. Interestingly, in displaying his language skills, one of the first words our grandson attempted was “ball”. He is not intimidated by electronic gadgets – he handles controls just like his dad. As we attempt to child-proof our home we are having to secure many of the items his dad uses.
We often wondered though, about our grandson’s eagerness to care and participate in projects around the house. At his age, these skills would not have been overtly taught. However, researchers are now telling us that “the strongest predictor of a child’s empathic concern for others in adult life is a high level of paternal child care.”
Ross Parke, a preeminent fatherhood researcher from California, studied how a child’s physical development responds to involved fathering. “An infant’s scores on assessments of intellectual and motor, or physical competencies are higher if fathers are actively involved during the first six months of the child’s life. The father’s tendency to activate his child in their interactions encourages and supports the child’s pleasurable discovery of his own body.”
Although much of this commentary is on the father-son relationship, one should not think that that is the extent of a father’s influence. Because of space limitations and the occasion of Father’s Day, the father-son emphasis becomes obvious.
However, what is also obvious and frightening, is the great impact fathers have on their children. The apostle Paul was correct, Fathers should not exasperate their children, “instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). When viewed positively, the biblical text is acknowledging the extent of the father’s influence to encourage and empower children. What an awesome responsibility.
On this Father’s Day, it is my prayer that God would bless every man who has had the opportunity to play the role of father in another’s life.
A few weeks ago, another invitation was extended to my son – he was asked to be my associate in a team-teaching experiment for the Father’s Day service at church – to this invitation he eagerly answered in the affirmative. What made the difference ten years later? Many things, and this Father’s Day weekend affords me the opportunity to reflect on some of them. In other words, here are some lessons to a father from a son.
Much of the literature available on fathers, deal with the impact of fathers on children. One of the few resources that challenge us to hear from the children was written by Yale University researcher, Dr. Kyle Pruett. In his book Fatherneed, Pruett addresses the reciprocal benefits of father-child relationships.
Pruett contends that “research from the child’s side of the aisle shows that kids yearn deeply for dads. Infants in the first months of life can tell the differences between a mother’s and a father’s style of care. Furthermore, children thrive when they experience those different styles throughout all the developmental stages of life. Children and fathers hunger for each other early, often, and for a very long time.”
Much of this I took for granted until I read this recent birthday card from my son: “You are the only example of a godly man I’ve ever been able to follow my whole life. You’ve consistently been a source of encouragement, support, honesty and more to me and that’s something I can’t replace.”
“I still remember,” he wrote, “how you’d sneak-in to my games to support me, and though I wasn’t mature enough at the time to appreciate it, your coming meant the world to me.”
Interestingly, my son’s reflections were not based on the sermons and speeches he heard, but rather the visible acts he saw. Although frightening, it is true, our audiences remember more of who we are than what we say.
I pray that my son will continue to be aware of this as he fathers his two-year old son. Although there are areas of similarity, fathers make a different impact on children than mothers do. Studies confirm that as early as eight weeks of age, kids can anticipate the complex differences in their mother’s and father’s caretaking and handling styles.
In addressing the subject of adaptive and problem-solving abilities of children, Dr. Pruett argued that “infants who have been well fathered during the first eighteen to twenty-four months of life, are more secure than those who were not in exploring the world around them, and they do so with vigor and interest.”
That interest to explore I already see with my two-year old grandson. I believe much of it comes from the hours my son invests playing and working with him. Interestingly, in displaying his language skills, one of the first words our grandson attempted was “ball”. He is not intimidated by electronic gadgets – he handles controls just like his dad. As we attempt to child-proof our home we are having to secure many of the items his dad uses.
We often wondered though, about our grandson’s eagerness to care and participate in projects around the house. At his age, these skills would not have been overtly taught. However, researchers are now telling us that “the strongest predictor of a child’s empathic concern for others in adult life is a high level of paternal child care.”
Ross Parke, a preeminent fatherhood researcher from California, studied how a child’s physical development responds to involved fathering. “An infant’s scores on assessments of intellectual and motor, or physical competencies are higher if fathers are actively involved during the first six months of the child’s life. The father’s tendency to activate his child in their interactions encourages and supports the child’s pleasurable discovery of his own body.”
Although much of this commentary is on the father-son relationship, one should not think that that is the extent of a father’s influence. Because of space limitations and the occasion of Father’s Day, the father-son emphasis becomes obvious.
However, what is also obvious and frightening, is the great impact fathers have on their children. The apostle Paul was correct, Fathers should not exasperate their children, “instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). When viewed positively, the biblical text is acknowledging the extent of the father’s influence to encourage and empower children. What an awesome responsibility.
On this Father’s Day, it is my prayer that God would bless every man who has had the opportunity to play the role of father in another’s life.
Monday, February 11, 2013
An Appeal for the Unborn
This column is the third in my trilogy on abortion. Last week, my guest discussed the need for compassion to be shown to the woman who chose to terminate a pregnancy. As a medical doctor she took the position that she would rather provide the woman with the opportunity to have an abortion “in an informed, medically safe and legal way”, rather than suffer the consequences of unprofessional intervention.
Agreed, unprofessional intervention or botched abortions have an ugly history of barbaric procedures often leading to tragic consequences for the mother. It is believed that one woman dies every seven minutes around the world due to an unsafe illegal abortion. In the United States the death rate for abortion is currently 0.6 per 100,000 procedures. Hence, it would be safe to say that in the U.S., legalizing abortion has reduced reproductive barbarism significantly.
However, with safer procedures has come increasing frequency of abortions and casual sex. Researchers tell us that some 22% of the 1¼ million pregnancies in America will be terminated in abortion. More than 48% of these women would have had at least one previous abortion. But why would a woman want to abort her baby? The most common reasons women consider abortion are:
- Birth Control – more than 50% of all women who have an abortion used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant;
- Economics – inability to support or care for a child/to end an unwanted pregnancy;
- Birth defects – to prevent the birth of a child with severe medical problems;
- Physical or mental conditions that endanger the health of the mother; and
- Pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.
Although much has been said of the mother’s health and forced sex as legitimate reasons for abortion, many analysts are reluctant to tell us that such cases are rare among women seeking abortion. Actually, fewer than 3% of all women who abort fall into these categories.
So often we forget that the biggest victim in abortion is the child that is aborted. For convenience, we sometimes ignore that the child is a person. Legally, one is charged for double homicide when a pregnant woman is killed. Already, 29 states practice fetal homicide laws. The law grants personhood status to a fetus, thus affording legal rights for a fetus, separate from those enjoyed by the mother. The killer is usually charged for double homicide.
In addition, the use of ultrasound in early pregnancy enables medical personnel to examine the gestational sac within the uterus as early as the fourth week of pregnancy. There should be no doubt then, that an abortion is the surgical removal of a person from a woman’s womb.
The purpose or method of removal does not legitimize the act of removal. Fearful young women sometimes attribute their pregnancies to rape in order to avoid possible condemnation. For instance, Norma McCorvey was the young woman called “Roe” in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade case of legalizing abortion. Norma elicited sympathy in the court and media because she claimed to be a rape victim. However, years later, she admitted that she lied and was not raped.
The courts and the media fell for that lie because we have been led to believe that abortion should be expected whenever someone is raped. Under no condition should rape be trivialized. It is a horrible crime for which rapists should receive the full extent of the law.
Rape traumatizes women and as a society we should do everything to reduce the impact of that pain. However, is abortion the only option and does it bring authentic healing to rape victims? Feminists for Life contend that “some women have reported suffering from the trauma of abortion long after the rape trauma has faded.”
In their book Victims and Victors, David Reardon and his associates draw on the testimonies of 192 women who experienced pregnancy as the result of rape or incest – and 55 children who were conceived through sexual assault. Nearly all the women interviewed in Reardon’s anecdotal survey said they regretted aborting the babies conceived via rape or incest. Of those giving an opinion, more than 90% said they would discourage other victims of sexual violence from having an abortion.
Today Jennifer Bowman has three beautiful children. However, looking at her one could never tell that she was a victim of rape. Her passion for this forgotten group of victims is evident on her website.
The impact of such stories is not merely statistical for me. I thank God daily, that although a victim of rape, my mother-in-law did not opt for an abortion. The child that resulted has changed my life forever.
Agreed, unprofessional intervention or botched abortions have an ugly history of barbaric procedures often leading to tragic consequences for the mother. It is believed that one woman dies every seven minutes around the world due to an unsafe illegal abortion. In the United States the death rate for abortion is currently 0.6 per 100,000 procedures. Hence, it would be safe to say that in the U.S., legalizing abortion has reduced reproductive barbarism significantly.
However, with safer procedures has come increasing frequency of abortions and casual sex. Researchers tell us that some 22% of the 1¼ million pregnancies in America will be terminated in abortion. More than 48% of these women would have had at least one previous abortion. But why would a woman want to abort her baby? The most common reasons women consider abortion are:
- Birth Control – more than 50% of all women who have an abortion used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant;
- Economics – inability to support or care for a child/to end an unwanted pregnancy;
- Birth defects – to prevent the birth of a child with severe medical problems;
- Physical or mental conditions that endanger the health of the mother; and
- Pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.
Although much has been said of the mother’s health and forced sex as legitimate reasons for abortion, many analysts are reluctant to tell us that such cases are rare among women seeking abortion. Actually, fewer than 3% of all women who abort fall into these categories.
So often we forget that the biggest victim in abortion is the child that is aborted. For convenience, we sometimes ignore that the child is a person. Legally, one is charged for double homicide when a pregnant woman is killed. Already, 29 states practice fetal homicide laws. The law grants personhood status to a fetus, thus affording legal rights for a fetus, separate from those enjoyed by the mother. The killer is usually charged for double homicide.
In addition, the use of ultrasound in early pregnancy enables medical personnel to examine the gestational sac within the uterus as early as the fourth week of pregnancy. There should be no doubt then, that an abortion is the surgical removal of a person from a woman’s womb.
The purpose or method of removal does not legitimize the act of removal. Fearful young women sometimes attribute their pregnancies to rape in order to avoid possible condemnation. For instance, Norma McCorvey was the young woman called “Roe” in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade case of legalizing abortion. Norma elicited sympathy in the court and media because she claimed to be a rape victim. However, years later, she admitted that she lied and was not raped.
The courts and the media fell for that lie because we have been led to believe that abortion should be expected whenever someone is raped. Under no condition should rape be trivialized. It is a horrible crime for which rapists should receive the full extent of the law.
Rape traumatizes women and as a society we should do everything to reduce the impact of that pain. However, is abortion the only option and does it bring authentic healing to rape victims? Feminists for Life contend that “some women have reported suffering from the trauma of abortion long after the rape trauma has faded.”
In their book Victims and Victors, David Reardon and his associates draw on the testimonies of 192 women who experienced pregnancy as the result of rape or incest – and 55 children who were conceived through sexual assault. Nearly all the women interviewed in Reardon’s anecdotal survey said they regretted aborting the babies conceived via rape or incest. Of those giving an opinion, more than 90% said they would discourage other victims of sexual violence from having an abortion.
Today Jennifer Bowman has three beautiful children. However, looking at her one could never tell that she was a victim of rape. Her passion for this forgotten group of victims is evident on her website.
The impact of such stories is not merely statistical for me. I thank God daily, that although a victim of rape, my mother-in-law did not opt for an abortion. The child that resulted has changed my life forever.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Bible Bread on Sale AT LOCAL SUPERMARKETS
Food For Life Baking Company, Inc. has placed a registered trade mark on its Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain bread. Such a trade mark would suggest that the idea is original and belongs to the company. To some extent, that claim is not accurate.
Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is made from freshly sprouted organically grown grains. The bread is naturally flavored and rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and natural fiber with no added fat. The idea of this flourless bread comes from the Hebrew Bible, to be more specific, from Ezekiel chapter four and verse nine: “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a container and make them into bread for yourself…”
In the context of the verse, the prophet Ezekiel was limited to a restricted diet for 390 days in order to communicate the reality of a famine among the Jews during a siege of the city of Jerusalem. The prophet was to eat bread made from a mixture of six different grains. It is based on this restricted diet that Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is produced today.
Food For Life Baking Company has discovered that when Ezekiel’s six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, a complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, all naturally balanced.
Food For Life Baking Company appears to be best positioned to pioneer this product. The company was the first wholesale bakery in the United States specializing in natural foods. For some 40 years the family-owned and operated company has been serving sprouted grain and all natural bakery products. Today, after more than three generations and more than sixty different bread products, the family maintains the original baking techniques used to make truly authentic flavorful sprouted grain breads.
The flourless bread is made from freshly sprouted grains and contains absolutely no flour. The company believes in sprouting the grains they use in their breads because sprouting is the best way to release all of the vital nutrients stored in whole grains.
In order to unlock this dormant food energy, maximize nutrition and flavor, the company adds just the right amount of water to healthy whole organically grown grains which are already bursting with nutrients. Beneficial enzymes are activated which cause the grains to sprout and become a living food. The sprouting process not only increases vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, B-vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium, but also causes a natural change that allows the protein and carbohydrates to be assimilated by the body more efficiently. The company’s baking process preserves these nutrients and retains the important natural fiber and bran.
Although Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is slow baked, at temperatures much lower than typical commercial bakeries, the product is not considered to be raw. Foods are typically considered to be raw if they are cooked at temperatures below 110 degrees. However, Ezekiel Bread must be baked above 250 degrees Fahrenheit or it would spoil during baking, unless it is dehydrated.
In addition, because the ingredients are “certified organically grown,” one is assured that the grains have been grown and processed without the use of fertilizers, chemicals or pesticides and the lands, where the grains are grown, have not been sprayed for at least three years. Certified organically grown grains are third party verified by certifying agencies to be processed according to the standards and statutes set forth by the Organic Foods Act of 1990.
Among other benefits, Ezekiel Bread can help to lower cholesterol in bread users. When we eat, our bodies secrete bile acids into the gastrointestinal tract to help absorb fats. Cholesterol is a principal component of bile acids. Researchers believe that soluble fibers bind cholesterol rich bile acids and cause them to be excreted from the body when they would otherwise be reabsorbed.
Ezekiel Bread can also facilitate weight loss. Fibrous foods provide bulk to help keep one feeling comfortably full and satisfied longer, decreasing swings in blood sugar that make dieters weak, tired and irritable. Fiber can help one consume less without the desire to continuously snack and stack up needless calories.
Although considered irrelevant by some, it is obvious that dietary guidelines from the Hebrew Bible have returned and provide healthy competition with twenty-first century nutritionally conscious enthusiasts.
Like my wife and I do, you may want to check out this bread in the frozen bread section, the next time you visit your local supermarket.
Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is made from freshly sprouted organically grown grains. The bread is naturally flavored and rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and natural fiber with no added fat. The idea of this flourless bread comes from the Hebrew Bible, to be more specific, from Ezekiel chapter four and verse nine: “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a container and make them into bread for yourself…”
In the context of the verse, the prophet Ezekiel was limited to a restricted diet for 390 days in order to communicate the reality of a famine among the Jews during a siege of the city of Jerusalem. The prophet was to eat bread made from a mixture of six different grains. It is based on this restricted diet that Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is produced today.
Food For Life Baking Company has discovered that when Ezekiel’s six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, a complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, all naturally balanced.
Food For Life Baking Company appears to be best positioned to pioneer this product. The company was the first wholesale bakery in the United States specializing in natural foods. For some 40 years the family-owned and operated company has been serving sprouted grain and all natural bakery products. Today, after more than three generations and more than sixty different bread products, the family maintains the original baking techniques used to make truly authentic flavorful sprouted grain breads.
The flourless bread is made from freshly sprouted grains and contains absolutely no flour. The company believes in sprouting the grains they use in their breads because sprouting is the best way to release all of the vital nutrients stored in whole grains.
In order to unlock this dormant food energy, maximize nutrition and flavor, the company adds just the right amount of water to healthy whole organically grown grains which are already bursting with nutrients. Beneficial enzymes are activated which cause the grains to sprout and become a living food. The sprouting process not only increases vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, B-vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium, but also causes a natural change that allows the protein and carbohydrates to be assimilated by the body more efficiently. The company’s baking process preserves these nutrients and retains the important natural fiber and bran.
Although Ezekiel 4:9 Bread is slow baked, at temperatures much lower than typical commercial bakeries, the product is not considered to be raw. Foods are typically considered to be raw if they are cooked at temperatures below 110 degrees. However, Ezekiel Bread must be baked above 250 degrees Fahrenheit or it would spoil during baking, unless it is dehydrated.
In addition, because the ingredients are “certified organically grown,” one is assured that the grains have been grown and processed without the use of fertilizers, chemicals or pesticides and the lands, where the grains are grown, have not been sprayed for at least three years. Certified organically grown grains are third party verified by certifying agencies to be processed according to the standards and statutes set forth by the Organic Foods Act of 1990.
Among other benefits, Ezekiel Bread can help to lower cholesterol in bread users. When we eat, our bodies secrete bile acids into the gastrointestinal tract to help absorb fats. Cholesterol is a principal component of bile acids. Researchers believe that soluble fibers bind cholesterol rich bile acids and cause them to be excreted from the body when they would otherwise be reabsorbed.
Ezekiel Bread can also facilitate weight loss. Fibrous foods provide bulk to help keep one feeling comfortably full and satisfied longer, decreasing swings in blood sugar that make dieters weak, tired and irritable. Fiber can help one consume less without the desire to continuously snack and stack up needless calories.
Although considered irrelevant by some, it is obvious that dietary guidelines from the Hebrew Bible have returned and provide healthy competition with twenty-first century nutritionally conscious enthusiasts.
Like my wife and I do, you may want to check out this bread in the frozen bread section, the next time you visit your local supermarket.
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